


Only With You

by aserene



Category: NCIS
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dogs, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Kissing, Undercover Missions, Undercover as Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24328615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserene/pseuds/aserene
Summary: The team doesn't want to spook their lead suspect in their current case by going to talk to her. Abby and Tony decide to send the Boss undercover, just one problem, He needs a wife.
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jenny Shepard
Comments: 17
Kudos: 84





	1. The Case

**Author's Note:**

> See I accept Bribes.  
> As requested, an old story circa 2009.

“DINOZZO! I want an update now!” Gibbs shouted, entering the lab to find his entire team gathered around Abby’s computer. They scrambled, trying to getting out of his path, Abby being the only one to smile sweetly and worm her way out of trouble as she did every time.

“Uh Boss, it’s not good,” Agent Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo began hesitantly, knowing the words ‘not good’ equaled head slaps. 

“We have three couples, each partner somehow involved in the military, now how could it get worse?” Gibbs sarcastically inquired. 

“Well, Boss, we’ve been tracking the couples’ movements before they died and…” McGee continued but true to form fell silent at one glare from Tony.

“And…”

“AND,” Ziva David interrupted. “We discovered they were going to some sex helper.” Gibbs looked at her in surprise.

“Marriage Counselor Boss,” Tony translated, cringing at Ziva’s understanding of the term.

“That is what I said,” Ziva responded. 

“Well, you two played the married couple so well last time, gear up,” Gibbs ordered, enjoying the fact that Tony and Ziva would probably drive each other nuts and would perhaps get five minutes of quiet. 

“Problem with that plan, Boss,” Tony said.

“You have a problem with this DiNozzo, David?”

“No, but the counselor only takes uh…”

“Older couples,” Abby interjected helpfully. “Both have to be over forty.”

“Who has to be over forty Abby?” came the voice of the one woman Gibbs did not want to see at that particular moment, he could only imagine what his team was capable of coming up with if presented with two targets.

“Uh, the people we’re helping, Director,” Abby tried. 

“Oh, so what was the urgent 911?” The team found new spots on the wall, Abby glancing from Gibbs to the Director. “Agent Gibbs?”

“I didn’t call you,” he assured, feeling that he was already in over his head. 

“Abby said you needed me to come down here for something, so what’s the problem.”

“We will need to send some undercover, Jenny,” Ziva explained, glancing at her teammates for help.

“Right, she’s right, ah Director,” Tony agreed. “And we thought, uh, you tell her Probie.”

“Why me?” McGee protested. 

“McGee?” Jenny questioned and watched the younger Agent look pleadingly over at Abby, who seemed unable to control laughter. 

“You see, Director, we need people over…an uh certain age, of which neither of us are, well except for Bossman.” 

“Jethro?” He remained silent, glaring at his team. 

“Ah, Tony, there you are, have you seen, Jethro?” Ducky called entering the lab.

“Right here, Duck.”

“Ah Jethro, Director.”

“Ducky.”

“Abby, did you pass along the information?” 

“Sort of, we haven’t exactly gotten through it all. The Director answered the call.”

“Which I still haven’t been told what it’s about?”

“Oh, dear,” Ducky sighed. “I see, I’ve come too early.”

“Too early for what?”

“Too early for us to finish,” Abby jumped. “So based on lots of investigation and cross-referencing through the computers and…”

“Today, Abby!” Gibbs and Jenny snapped.

“Sheesh, anyway all of us have determined that the most likely person to have killed them or who could help us is a marriage counselor, but naturally said counselor wouldn’t want to talk to us and has lots of lawyers so we could only determine one way to get to her and that was to send someone undercover but like I said we aren’t uh…the right age,” Abby explained proudly.

“Which led you to…”Jenny baited. 

“Well, Gibbs is the over the right age,” Ziva began.

“And uh, we thought since you two were partners, and Ziva and Abby aren’t old enough that you would go,” Tony finished. 

“And this was your brilliant idea, DiNozzo?” Gibbs questioned.

“Yes, Boss.” WHACK. “Boss, it makes sense…and we couldn’t send you by yourself, what if she’s dangerous!”

“And I was the best choice you could come up with?” Jenny asked. 

“Think of it as a, what was the word, ah; yes, vacation,” Ziva piped up, smiling wickedly at her long time friend—thinking back to a time when Jenny had used similar words on her to convince her to go undercover with her new partner and play the loving wife. 

“And besides marriage, counselors are supposed to fix marriages, so I suppose this one time it would be okay for Mommy and Daddy to fight.” Gibbs was reading the print out on the counselor and smirked, catching Jenny’s attention.

“We’ll have to use someone else,” Gibbs stated, finally uttering more than a few words. Jenny met his eyes and read the paper he held out. 

“Boss?” McGee piped up. “I checked that thing four times; you fit the criteria, minus the being married part.”

“You missed the part where it says couples with children,” Jenny read.

“Oh no, we took care of that,” Abby assured. “Meet your Gibblet.” 

“Still not a bad combination,” Tony whistled lowly as the image from the Morph-Pro program projected on the plasma screen. 

“And what happens if we have to bring in pictures or something?” Jenny questioned, and Gibbs sighed in exasperation. “What?”

“That’s not helping,” he warned only loud enough for her to hear. 

“You can’t seriously be considering this?”

“No.”

“Good.”

“Ah Boss, we have an idea for that.”

“More brilliant ideas, DiNozzo?”

“This was McGeeks, Probie take it away,” Tony called across the room. 

“Well…”

“What Timothy means is that you have two children right here,” Ducky said. “Abby and Anthony.”

Silence.

“Well, she is the favorite,” Tony remarked.

“Only because I don’t get into trouble!”

“I don’t!”

“Do!”

“Do not!”

“Do!”

“DINOZZO!”

“Sorry, Boss.” Gibbs rubbed his forehead momentarily, trying to soothe the growing headache. “Hey, how come Abby never gets yelled at, or Ziva for that matter.”

“Oh Ziva’s getting yelled at,” Jenny assured, grabbing her friend’s arm and all but dragging her into the hallway. The door closing quickly, but Tony noticed the two enter the elevator and watched it stop between floors moments later.

“Uh oh,” McGee gulped.

“So, what else do you have on this?” Gibbs demanded.

“Well, Jethro I have examined all the bodies, in every case either the wife or husband was killed first and the other forced to watch, whoever did it was systematic, precise. I would hesitate to say surgical but certainly had training,” Ducky said.

“And the weapon was usually the wife or husband’s weapon,” Abby chimed in gesturing to the massive piles of knives and guns sitting on her table color coated by couple. “The only thing they have in common is the military and this marriage counselor.”

“And the fact they had grown children,” McGee added on. 

“Children who didn’t keep in touch that much,” Tony clarified. “And don’t seem that broken up by it either, but they all have alibis.” 

“Is there a reason why none of you have just gone to question her?” Gibbs inquired, irritated.

“Well, Boss, we were afraid we might tip her off,” Tony defended.

“He is correct, you’ll need to get close, trust her, and a counseling session is the only way to learn her behavior and learn if she can do this.”

“There a reason she only does older couples?”

“Well, there is one couple who is her ‘success’ story, but they still keep in touch frequently,” Abby said.

“We’re thinking she’s sleeping with one of the parties.”

“The husband?” Gibbs asked, going for the obvious choice.

“Ah…we’re not sure,” Tony replied, drifting off as the lab doors opened, and Ziva and Jenny walked back in, Ziva with a self-content smirk and Jenny looking visibly calmer, but Gibbs could detect the fury lurking beneath the surface.

“So, how exactly do we meet her?” Jenny questioned. 

“You need a referral from another couple, anyone of our morgue’s guests would suffice,” Abby answered. Gibbs looked at her in surprise and, without so much as a word, took her arm, and she was led to the elevator. Abby watched as the seed of her plan took root. “You know sometimes, Mommy and Daddy should fight.”

“Here, here,” Ziva and the others chorused. 

\--

They had simply stepped on the elevator and waited for the doors to close before he flipped the emergency switch and turning to glare at her. Not surprised, she returned the Gibbs’ glare with one of her own and didn’t so much as flinch as he took another step closer to her. She was aware of the rules of this game, there were none, and she was also fully aware that when it came down to it, she could be just as stubborn as he was. 

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“It was your team’s idea,” she reminded.

“It was DiNozzo’s idea, that should tell you something,” he snapped.

“He did just fine as team leader when you were off drinking on the beach,” she returned, arching an eyebrow. “And who did you think they would suggest?”

“Not you.”

“Yea, well, I don’t have to like it either.”

“Don’t want to be Mrs. Gibbs?” She made a face.

“What number?” He ignored the dig; he knew she was fully aware she didn’t get counted in that category. Still, he also really didn’t want to tempt fate because even pretending to be married meant pretending to be in a relationship, and with her, that was not something he wanted to pretend about. 

“Shepard-Gibbs, then.”

“Oh yes, I’d love to explain to my Bosses that one,” she remarked sarcastically. “Did you miss the undercover portion of this? There’s no way I can go in being the Director of NCIS, and somehow I think Leroy Jethro Gibbs would consider that his own hell, if not being married altogether.”

“So, aliases?”

“I thought you were the one who said this was a bad idea?”

“Well, you okayed it, Director, and you are the Boss,” he mocked. She stepped back out of his personal space, taking a deep breath. 

“This is ridiculous.”

“Oh yea,” he agreed, seeing the end of the fight in the distance.

“Don’t suppose she would just confess the second we walk in there?” He chuckled.

“Not likely.” Silence ensued as they were left to their thoughts because pretending to be married to the other was certainly not just an everyday occurrence or even an unemotional one. 

“Well, this will be interesting.” 

“How so?”

“I have a son, I’m not old enough to have with a daughter who doesn’t look a thing like me and just how many years are we going to be married?”

“Eleven.”

“Eleven?” He shrugged his shoulders at her echo and knew she was mentally counting backward to where eleven years would have put them. “Positano.” Another shrug. “So how exactly am I supposed to have kids who are in their twenties and early thirties?”

“Mentor kids, not biological, explain away the appearances and the age,” he came up with. 

“Jobs?”

“Well, they’re military couples, Marine and…what would you like?”

“I don’t know what exactly a military wife would do? My mother stayed home, lived a life of luxury,” Jenny said.

“Can’t exactly picture you as a housewife,” he said with a grin that she knew meant he was trying. 

“Cop?” He shook his head. “Doctor?” Again with the head shaking. “Defense contractor?” This time the head-shaking came with a look of distaste. “Well, do you have any ideas?”

“Scientist.”

“Scientist?”

“Yea, the military hires them all the time to do stuff. We had to work together,” he began. 

“Okay, simple. I can live with that. What do I study?”

“The little ocean things.”

“Very specific, Jethro, I’ll handle that, just nod your head.” He nodded. “Well, better go put Abby out of her misery.” Jenny flipped the switch back and hit the button for the lab. 

“Abby?”

“Oh please, this has her name written all over it,” Jenny remarked as the doors opened, and he let her get off first. The team was waiting suspiciously close to the door but looking as if they were each caught up doing something, which Gibbs knew was a farce.

“Alright listen up, don’t call unless there’s a terrorist attack, we’ll stay in contact through Abby,” Gibbs informed.

“Ziva, you stay with Cynthia, make sure no one knows I’m gone,” Jenny ordered. “Hopefully, this won’t take very long.”

“DiNozzo, you’re in charge, get me some answers on any other targets, McGee get background on this woman as well as all the other patients, I want everything down to her grocery store.”

“On it, Boss!” DiNozzo responded moving from the lab, with Ziva in tow. McGee turned back to the computer he was working on. 

“Ducky, we’d appreciate anything you could tell us about the couples, intimate things.”

“You’re not pretending to be any of them.”

“No, but she has a point, we want to be the most like the couples she’s been targeting,” Gibbs answered. 

“I don’t imagine that would be difficult,” Ducky muttered, leaving the lab.  _ Perhaps they might learn something from this _ .

“Abby!” Gibbs snapped, and the Goth bounced straight in front of him.

“Yes, oh, great one.”

“No Caf-Pow for the rest of the day,” Gibbs commanded and watched the younger girl’s face fall in surprise. 

“But Gibbs…” But Gibbs and Jenny had already left the lab. 

“Told you suggesting the Director wasn’t going to be a good idea,” McGee reminded.

“Oh shut up, Timmy!”


	2. A Consultation

Gibbs paced along the floor of her office as Jenny typed away on the computer. He glanced over every so often and chastised himself every time because what she was doing wasn't helping his not thinking about her. She had her bit her lip, her habit when she was concentrating on something she wanted to work, _ or when she's keeping quiet _ , he thought and shook the thought off quickly. 

"Names?" Her voice came out of nowhere, and he glanced over again to find her looking at him, curiously over her glasses. 

"For what?"

"Our cover."

"Oh, I guess we can't use any of the old ones. I don't know something easy."

"What was your name in McGee's book?"

"Tibbs, or at least that's what Ducky said."

"Alright, we'll mess around a little bit, Jethro L. Tibbs, work for you?" She inquired.

"Yeah, sure, you?"

"Jenny Shipford-Tibbs."

"Jenny short for?"

"Nothing, just Jenny," she answered. He shrugged, it was easy enough, he could still call her Jen, and he was the only one who did that anyway, at least the only one he knew about. "Hm, …suppose a doctor might be too hard to fake."

"What?"

"Well, I should really have a Ph.D., but that's too risky, so we'll just have to hope she buys it."

"Great," he agreed. Jenny printed out some documents and saved the covers so the respective departments could print the ideas required and the credit cards. 

"Wedding bands?" She called out to him as he finished his half pace. 

"What?"

"Do you want wedding bands?"

"Sure, get yourself something sparkly," he remarked, contemplating the one he had sitting in a box with photos of her. 

"Simple, not sparkly," she corrected, sending an email off to the props team. For a moment, Jenny mused that it was probably a good idea he'd never thought of marrying her. "Do you want to call, or do you want me to?"

"This is your idea, Jenny."

"Fine, I'll call, but you have to at least participate in this," she said. He gave her the classic Gibbs, not interested look. Her phone rang, and she answered it, giving brief commands before hanging up. "Alright, let's go. The IDs are ready."

"Oh goody," he replied sarcastically. "You're going to have to change."

"What?"

"Your clothes, I don't think scientists wear Pravda." She ignored that and stood to gather up some paperwork that she could do without creating suspicion. Gibbs held the door for her and followed her down to the props floor. The lead guy in charge had everything waiting for them in two bags and said nothing as the Director and her former partner appeared to collect it. He knew Gibbs would probably kill him if it got out, so he decided he would keep it quiet and watched them leave. 

Jenny and Gibbs walked back through the bullpen, where Tony and Ziva were hard at work. Jenny waited patiently while Gibbs grabbed his coat, weapon, and his badge. He walked back over to her, slapping Tony once for good measure. 

"Ziva, you have my permission to do that," Gibbs ordered.

"Of course, Gibbs."

"Boss!"

"DiNozzo, don't even start. I want answers in two hours." Gibbs stepped into the elevator with Jenny and hit the floor for the garage. "Want a ride home?" She shrugged, and he assumed that meant yes. He drove them first to her house, grabbed a bag of stuff, and changed her clothes, opting for a more casual jeans and sweater look with a pair of flats. They went to his house, still caught up in the silence, and tossed some stuff in the bag. 

"Can I call from here?" She asked.

"Yeah sure, the phone's on the kitchen wall." Jenny went into the kitchen, hearing the basement door open, not particularly surprised that he would want to spend some time with his boat rather than her. The conversation went smoothly, and by the luck of a cancellation, they had managed to get a consultation appointment for that afternoon.  _ Oh goody, _ she thought moving toward the basement stairs to call for Gibbs. She entered the darkened room and watched a moment from the top step. 

"We have an appointment for four o'clock this afternoon." Gibbs stopped halfway through a stroke of sanding and paused a moment before finishing it. 

"Who did you sweet talk for that?"

"Apparently, there was a cancellation," Jenny informed irritated. "You should probably get ready."

"Yes, dear," he replied sarcastically. Jenny cringed, and he smirked slightly. They had never had endearments before, at least none of the cliché ones, but that could change. Gibbs also knew there would be some form of payback for it. He walked up the stairs toward her, and she moved out of the way back into the living room of the house to wait him out. He went to his room to shower and change, figuring she wouldn't be that bored by herself. When he came out fifteen minutes later, she was sitting on the couch in the living room, looking at a photo that sat on the shelf. She looked up as he came into the room and glanced from him to the picture once before her attention refocused on it. 

"Your unit?" Jenny inquired. Gibbs nodded, and she glanced at it again, trying to see if she recognized the man standing in the customary Marine Corp uniform. "Event?"

"Christening of a ship." She nodded, knowing best to end the conversation before it got out of their comfort zone of vague details. "We should probably get going," he suggested. She got up following him out the door and to the car. She stopped a second before getting into the vehicle.

"Problem," she began.

"What?"

"We can't take government-issued vehicles, can we?"

"Probably not, but do you think anyone will notice?"

"Should we risk it?"

"No, probably not," Gibbs conceded. "We'll take the truck." She moved toward the old pickup and waited in the front seat for him to get the keys. They pulled out of the drive moments later. "You do have your weapon, don't you?"

"Both of them and a knife." The rest of the drive was completed in silence as Gibbs navigated the turns and curves of the road in front of them. They pulled in front of the building, which looked more like an upscale townhouse than an office, much sooner than Jenny had anticipated. She took a deep breath before sliding into a façade that Gibbs recognized all too well. 

"Ready?"

"Yes." They got out and walked toward the door stopping just before entering. "Not ready."

"Jen," he drawled. 

"We didn't think this through. We don't have a plan except to figure out if she can kill or not, but…" He put his hand over her mouth. 

"Just relax."

"Do married couples going to counseling even hold hands?" She asked, he cocked his head to the side, he hadn't considered that idea, but he supposed probably not. 

"Probably not, follow my lead," he told her, placing his hand on her lower back as he had numerous times before when he was guiding her someplace. It was a formal posture but displayed enough intimacy that he didn't think it would be unusual. She seemed fine with it, perhaps standing a bit closer than she might usually, but allowed him to lead. 

They entered the office, both taking in the natural decorations. There were pictures of couples up on the walls, success stories they would learn, a nice black couch with a coffee table covered in magazines for a waiting area. There was a center desk, which appeared to be the check-in area, and Gibbs lead Jenny over, pressing just light pressure to her back the message being clear, she would do the speaking at first. It certainly helped that the receptionist was a younger man who had looked up the second they had walked in. Jenny was about to place her hand on the counter when Gibbs realized one big problem. Their rings. He took her left hand and held it out of sight. She looked at him momentarily before she too glanced down and noticed the lack of rings. Jenny barely inclined her head and moved her hands.

"Excuse me, we have an appointment to see Christine Colmen," Jenny spoke softly. 

"Names?"

"Jethro and Jenny Tibbs," she answered without any sign of emotion. 

"She'll be with you in just a moment if you would just sit and fill out these brief questionnaire forms we'd appreciate it," the man said with an extra-wide smile. Jenny barely cracked a grin, more than aware of Gibbs standing beside her. She took the forms with her right hand and held them to her as Gibbs led her over to the couch. They sat down next to one another closer than they might usually have. 

"You got the rings," Gibbs whispered. She reached into her purse and pulled them out carefully, ensuring that no one could see. 

"You could have reminded me." He took the one from her and placed it on his left hand, staring at it for a second. He glanced over at her to see that she had the wedding band and then the diamond ring on her finger. Gibbs sighed, reaching over for her hand. "What?"

"You have them on wrong." Jenny looked at him in surprise and looked at her hand, which he had within his grasp. He slid the rings off her finger and turned them around, so they connected before sliding them back in place. She tried to suppress all of the emotions that came bubbling up the surface with that one act. Gibbs let go of her hand just as quickly as he'd taken it and grabbed for one of the questionnaires. He smirked as he read the first question.

"What?" 

"Oh no, you get to fill out yours, I'll fill out mine." Jenny glared at him before turning her attention back and reading the forms. Some of the questions made her smirk; _ What is the most irritating thing your significant other does? _ Others made her want to shred the form;  _ Do you think your significant other still holds affection for you? _ And then some just made her smile briefly, probably not the questions but the memories they inspired.  _ Where did you share your first kiss? How does s/he make you laugh? _ She finished hers in about the same time he did and then proceeded to fold it in half. "Wanna trade?"

"Nope," Jenny grinned enigmatically. 

"Well, I'm afraid you will be trading," a woman announced as a door came fully open in the side room. Gibbs and Jenny stood up. "I'm Christine Colmen," she greeted, holding out her hand. 

"Jethro, this is my wife Jenny," he responded, shaking her hand and allowing Jenny to do the same. 

"A pleasure to meet you both," Christine said. "So shall we go in?" Jenny and Gibbs followed her into a comfortable room with a desk and seating area. "If you'd both sit on the couch." They did as told and looked from each other to her. "My assistant said a couple of mine recommended you?"

"Ah, yes," Jenny began. "The Rothmans," she continued knowing to look grieved. 

"Oh, I see, what a tragedy," Christine comforted. 

"We didn't want to waste time," Jenny agreed. "Fighting."

"Do you fight often?" Christine inquired. Jenny glanced at Gibbs.

"We disagree a lot," Gibbs rephrased. "She's stubborn."

"Look who's talking," Jenny muttered.

"Jenny, would you disagree with your husband's comment?"

"We are both stubborn. He just has to always be right."

"I see," Christine commented, watching the pair in front of her. "Well, the way this first session usually works is you share your answers to your questionnaire, but I think we'll continue with this, and that can be your first assignment."

"Assignment?" Jenny echoed, glancing at Gibbs.

"Yes, part of my job is to make sure the counseling helps your marriage, it'll be little things, like going out to dinner, or perhaps you would like to go on a retreat?" Christine suggested.

"Retreat?" Gibbs echoed. 

"Eight couples I work with along with some of the successful ones go to a winter resort. It gives you the chance to bond with each other as well as meet some people who may be in the same situation you are and can offer their advice." Gibbs noticed Jenny's faint smile cross her face and knew that meant she had come across something useful. He hoped it had nothing to do with this retreat, but the second she turned her head to him, he knew it did.

"That sounds nice, doesn't it, darling?" She commented, raising an eyebrow in the dare you to accept that one look. 

"Yeah, sounds great, except you hate the cold," he replied.

"We'll just have to get warm…uh hats," she stumbled at the end, fully aware of what word was about fall from her lips and what a magnificently lousy idea it would be. 

"Well, I will see if we have an opening and get back to you, but now, let me ask you, where did you get married?"

"Positano," Gibbs answered, relieved to have a change in the topic. He briefly glared at Jenny, and he noticed that she stiffened, fully aware they'd be continuing the retreat conversation later. 

"Lovely area, did you live there?"

"Sort of, we were working in the area. It was temporary," Jenny explained. 

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your jobs? Jethro, you start."

"I served in Desert Storm. Now I just do Marine Guard, security things," he said. 

"Any injuries?" 

"A few." 

"And Jenny, what do you do?"

"I'm a marine scientist." 

"Oh?"

"Water currents, sea surface temperature, boring topics I assure you," Jenny played it off. 

"And how did you two meet?"

"We worked together," Gibbs answered. "I was assigned as her team's guide."

"And did you get along?"

"No," Jenny laughed. "Not for a month or two anyway."

"And how did that change?" Christine questioned and noticed the sideways glances they shot each other. 

"It just did," Gibbs responded. 

"How long after you met, did you get married?" 

"About six months," Jenny said, studying the woman's reaction. She didn't seem to have one aside from a slight nod. 

"Have either of you been married before?"

"No."

"Yes."

"And how many times have you been married, Jethro?" Christine asked.

"A few," Gibbs remarked.

"And did you know this, Jenny?"

"Yes." 

"Do you know how these marriages ended?"

"Divorce," Jenny responded, glaring at the woman for a moment to see if she could determine what other answers she'd been expecting. 

"Jethro, is there a reason you haven't divorced Jenny?" He shrugged; it was hard to come up with a reason to divorce her when he had never really considered marrying her.  _ Well, that's not true,  _ he thought for a second. He'd asked her to move in years ago,  _ what would have happened?  _ He pondered it _ , you know why. You would have lost her for good, just like you lost Shannon and Kelly. _ The idea that he hadn't wanted to marry her to protect her did not sit very well. 

"Jethro?" Jenny's voice cut through his thought, and she looked at him, concerned for a second. He noticed Christine looking from both of them, but he knew why Jenny sounded worried. It had been an unspoken agreement that one wife did not count in this and that she knew every moment would remind him of it. He took her hand, squeezing it slightly before turning his attention back to Christine to find a brief look of surprise cross her face. He filed that away for future thought. 

"Well, I'm glad you two sought counseling, divorces can be messy," Christine remarked. Jenny nodded in agreement, not withdrawing her hand from Gibbs' grip. They spent the next twenty minutes discussing people in their life, people they both cared about, and Christine seemed willing to listen more and more. Jenny was convinced that there was something off about her. As their session came to a close, Christine stood. "Now, for the last ten minutes, I'd like to spend five minutes with each of you individually, so Jethro, if you would step outside, please."

"Sure." He let Jenny's hand go, giving her a good look. She nodded her assent that she would and could handle whatever happened next. Gibbs shut the door behind him and glanced around. The younger man was still there so he couldn't snoop, so he did what he figured most husbands did, he paced.

Meanwhile, Jenny was sitting fidgeting with the rings on her finger, twisting them around. She didn't usually wear a lot of rings; they reminded her of another time, but these she knew she was expected to wear until this mission was over. She watched Christine come back and sit in front of her.

"Now, I usually want to have a few minutes with each person, to work out maybe what they feel they can't say in front of their significant others. So just a few questions, unless you have anything to say?"

"Uh no, ask away," Jenny smiled.

"Your husband has had multiple divorces, does that bother you?"

"He wouldn't be Jethro without them; it's just a part of who he is," Jenny answered honestly, smirking slightly.

"Do you think he will divorce you?"

"We…" she paused a moment, she knew her answer had to be believable. "I don't know."

"Do you think your husband loves you?" Jenny froze at that one. There had been a time she wouldn't have hesitated to say Jethro Gibbs loved her, but that was certainly not this moment. She pushed away from the thoughts of their present and focused on their past when she had been the woman in his life. 

"Yes, I…I know he does," she replied. Jenny stood aware that her five minutes were up, and it was Jethro's turn, knowing the questions she was asked, she wondered if he might be asked the same. She had just reached the door when Christine called her name.

"Jenny."

"Yes?"

"Do you love your husband?" Jenny was happy she was still facing the door, sure that the color had drained from her face. She took a deep breath, not liking that her heart had suddenly jumped to her throat, and a single word almost slipped from her lips. She turned to face the good doctor with a sweetened smile on her face. 

"Of course." She then opened the door and stepped back into the waiting room. Gibbs had looked up the moment she stepped out and didn't like the fact that she looked paler than average. 

"Jenny?"

"Your turn," Jenny gestured for him to enter the room, and he noticed that she simply sat down in the chair, tapping her foot, her impatience evident. He didn't think he was going to like these questions. 

"Ah Jethro, come in and shut the door." 

"So why the isolation, I thought this was couples counseling."

"Yes, but there are two people in a couple, and sometimes they don't always get to say what they want with the significant other right there." 

"Okay."

"Have you ever cheated on your wife?" Christine questioned. He smirked.

"No." He'd have to be insane to cheat on someone who could quickly kill him or was friends with an assassin. 

"Do you think your wife ever cheated on you?" He paused a moment, sure there had been ops where Jenny had been required to show a little more skin then he would have liked but while they were together…if she had, which he was pretty sure she hadn't, would it have bothered him so much?  _ Well, yea… _ his thoughts drifted as he realized that he just didn't like the fact that she attracted as much attention as she did, but as cliché, as it might have sounded, he knew what they had meant something to her. He wasn't sure he could say that for her other liaisons.

"No."

"Do you think your wife loves you, Jethro?" He definitely didn't like these questions. How exactly was he supposed to make that sound believable? Especially when he wasn't sure he'd ever really known if she loved him or not _ , but this isn't Jenny Shepard, she's asking you about your fictitious wife.  _

"I know she does." Christine nodded, appearing somewhat puzzled about what he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Obviously, he and Jenny were going to have to talk about this later. He got up when Christine was silent for a minute and moved toward the door. Just as he was within reach, she called out to him.

"Jethro, do you love your wife?" He looked back at her, trying to see if there was another motive to this question. He took a deep breath suppressing the immediate answer that had bubble up for someplace he thought he had locked and buried. 

"Of course," he answered, stepping out into the room, very glad to be out of it. He found Jenny sitting on the couch tapping her foot, she stood right up when she saw him, but seemed hesitant to move any closer. Christine followed him out of the room, and Jenny was sure she didn't imagine the woman's eyes drift below Jethro's belt.  _ At least she's not a redhead,  _ but Jenny knew the best way to get rid of that attention was to be possessive, and yet at the same time, she wondered if that would weaken their chances of being a target. 

"Well I thank you both for coming, I'll give you a call tomorrow if I can get you guys into that retreat, would this weekend be convenient?"

"Jen?" 

"We have nothing planned," Jenny replied. 

"Wonderful, well, now you two think about this session, and I would like to see you on Friday afternoon if possible?" Jenny and Gibbs both nodded. "Good, now Jethro go take your wife out to dinner." 

She held the door open for them, and Gibbs made sure he led Jenny out the same way he'd led her in. They walked outside to the truck, separating only to get in, looking over the hood at each other to determine whether it was safe or not. He barely moved his head, but she got the action and simply climbed in the truck silently. Once they were back on the road, the silence became painful. 


	3. Dinner and a Friend

"Well, that was fun," Jenny commented. "I'm starting to understand why people get divorced." He chuckled; he was still having a hard time seeing her married to anyone, anyone other than him naturally. 

"She seemed nice enough."

"So what did you two talk about?" Perhaps her cattiness wasn't as easily disguised as she hoped because he glanced over at her with an eyebrow raised. 

"Afraid she's a husband stealer?"

"If she were a redhead, I might be worried," Jenny bit back. "Or have you moved on to blondes now?" Gibbs ignored the dig, fully aware that Jenny had a private laugh at that one.

"She was the one who couldn't keep her eyes off you," Gibbs retorted.

"Please, Jethro, she spent more time with her eyes on your belt than on you."

"And you would know this?"

"Isn't there a rule on observation or something?" Jenny reminded. He said nothing in response to that. "I think she's a woman who is used to getting what she wants, a couple of the questions she asked. She seemed surprised by the answers."

"The retreat thing was out of the blue." She laughed.

"Knew that wasn't going to last long, alright out with it."

"You potentially agreed to go somewhere out of communication range with a possible serial killer."

"It's in three days, we could have the thing checked out in one, devices in place in two, and there is the fact that all three couples were killed on their way back from some kind of a retreat," she pointed out. "Besides, if she's going to make her move, it would probably be when there were other people around."

"Back to work?" he questioned. Jenny glanced out the window, freezing a second. 

"I was thinking of fish."

"Fish?" he echoed. 

"For dinner, or lobster tails?" He glanced behind to check his blind spot and found the dark black sedan close by; he could easily make out the driver. 

"You want to catch your fish?"

"No, no poor things never did anything, let someone else do it." He pulled into the market area, where there were shops and restaurants. He looked over at her as he got out of the car, grabbing something, and placing it in his jacket; she simply opened the door and stepped out. He waited for her at the hood of the car, and she pretended to fix her strap purse, allowing him to step closer so only she could hear. 

"You think he could hear us?"

"Doubtful, but why tempt fate," she whispered back. "Looks like you're buying me dinner." He smirked, and they continued first going to the fish market to see if their friend followed. He did. Gibbs felt his phone ringing and pulled it out.  _ Tony DiNardo _ , he read. 

"Your spawn," he remarked at a normal tone holding the phone out. Jenny looked him in shock for half a second before recognizing the name. 

"Jethro," she trailed off warningly. "Tony, how are you, dear?"

"Uh…thought I called…" Tony sounded so confused that Jenny wished she could have seen his expression.

"Oh, Jethro is his usual self. Your sister wouldn't be there with you, would she?" 

"Right, sister, Abby!"

"Yes, my silver fox," Abby came on.

"Wrong one, Abby, dear," Jenny smirked.

"Oh," Abby drawled. "The red vixen."

"Would you be disappointed if we canceled tonight and moved it tomorrow?"

"Uh sure…"

"Excellent, I think he's an allergic reaction from going to the counselor."

"Well, maybe if Mommy and Daddy stopped fighting…" Jenny felt the phone being tugged from her ear.

"Abbs, you've been spending to much time around your brother."

"You know what they say, my silver fox, make love not…" He clipped the phone shut.

"Well, that was mature." 

"Allergic reaction?" She shrugged. "I should have trained you like Tony."

"But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun, now would it?" She responded sassily, fully aware they were in dangerous territory. 

"That's exactly what he doesn't do."

"But, I never bet on your personal life." He looked at her. "Oh please, Jethro, don't tell me you don't know about that."

"Know about what?"

"Never mind," she sighed. "You know I don't feel like cooking."

"Probably because you can't," Gibbs muttered, but the slap to the arm told him it wasn't quiet enough.

"There's a restaurant over there, I'm sure they have a back table in a quiet corner," she told him with something in her voice he recognized as a forced tone. He met her eyes to find them just past his shoulder. He glanced behind him as he turned in her in the direction and noticed their 'friend' had gotten closer. They moved toward the restaurant sitting down in what was indeed a quiet back table. Their friend had sat himself down at the bar. 

"We could always walk off dinner?" He suggested.

"Or call the kids."

"So, what did you think of her, dear?" She glanced at him again.

"She seemed nice enough."

"But?"

"But…" she paused, scanning the restaurant. "There's no point in having this conversation." Gibbs looked around as well their 'friend' had left. 

"A warning?"

"Or an investigation."

"Well, if that' the case, pick a house," he sighed. 

"House?"

"You can't go home by yourself," he pointed out. She nodded.

"Probably yours, the security detail is hard to miss." 

"Speaking of which…"

"Oh, I convinced them that you were the detail, for the time," she responded with half a grin. Dinner was completed with a bit of small talk that stayed very far away from their current case or work in general. Jenny was surprised they were actually enjoying themselves or that they even had as much to talk about. They agreed to a brief walk around the area, as she had never been there. They wandered into different little markets that were open late, just browsing mostly and talking about random things. Jenny wandered over to look at some albums that were out in front of the music shop, while Gibbs looked at some old records. She couldn't have been gone more than a minute when he felt his gut acting up. He looked up, and his eyes sought out Jenny, she was still flipping through albums. _ Can't be her, so what is it? _ He looked around, trying to see if anyone was too close for comfort but spotted nothing till he glanced toward the store. Standing in the window was their 'friend' from before. 

He looked over to Jenny, who was still focused on her task, seemingly unaware of the pair of eyes on her. He meandered his way through the narrow street, debating whether or not to call her. Gibbs decided against it when he felt a pair of eyes settle on him. He was almost to her side when he noticed her freeze mid-movement and cocked her head to the side.

"Jethro, you shouldn't sneak up on people," she commented idly. 

"Not even you, dear?" He emphasized the dear, and she glanced over at him. 

"Especially not me." Gibbs laughed, put his arm around her carefully, and turned her away from the record shop entrance. 

"Ready to go home?"

"Alright," she agreed, a bit curious as to the sudden display of affection. Gibbs took the record from her hand and paid the outside salesman, pulling her a tad closer when he went in to get change. 

"Our friend is watching you," he whispered. 

"I thought he left."

"Not yet."

"You think he…"

"Nope, he wasn't in the restaurant." 

"Your change, sir, thank you for your business."

"Yes, say you wouldn't happen to know if there's a taxi stand around here, think I probably had one too many?" Gibbs inquired. 

"I can drive Jethro," Jenny pointed out.

"Not in the dark you can't," he tsked, and she nodded as if to concede his point, but in reality, she was confused as hell. 

"The taxis line up near the bridge usually," the salesman informed. Gibbs nodded and led Jenny off in that direction. He grabbed his cell phone, dialing the number, and hearing Tony pick up on the third ring.

"Come get the truck, your sister can have it to play with," Gibbs ordered. 

"Right on that," Tony replied. Gibbs shut the phone. 

"Jethro?"

"Come on, darling, you're falling asleep on your feet," he commented, helping her into the taxi that stopped. He gave an address she didn't recognize, and she observed her surroundings as they drove there. They pulled into the driveway of a decent size two-story home, Gibbs got out and offered his hand to Jenny who accepted. She waited for him on the walkway, noticing the car of their 'friend' drive-by. He paid the cabbie and watched him leave before turning back to Jenny. "You should've just gone inside."

"Jethro, what…"

"Come on," he led her up the walkway into the house. She discovered it was furnished in a tasteful style and looked lived in. She let him lead her through it to the kitchen and down to other stairs. She followed him through the basement of this house, which was relatively clean, and towards a sidewall where a looking glass rested. "Care to see what's on the other side of the looking glass?"

"Alright." He pushed the glass, and she watched it spin like a revolving door, he pushed her through and then followed. She found herself in a darkened room, till he hit the light switch behind her. She noticed the room was more like a study room complete with computers, printers, faxes, webcams, communication devices, and bug sweepers. "Jethro?"

"NCIS safe house, owned technically by the CIA, but now by a Jethro and Jenny Tibbs, along with the pickup truck, and a Ford Escape," he explained. 

"And this room?"

"Well, it's soundproof, supposed to be a panic room, but Abby thought we could use it as like a modified MTAC." 

"So…"

"So we're staying here till this is over, yep, Noemi packed you a bag, Abby brought it by, Tony's going to bring mine by along with something else. Abby also took the liberty of decorating." 

"Decorating?"

"Yea, she may have gone through our photo albums. It's all she would tell me," he replied. 

"When did this happen?"

"While you were talking to Christine." He watched her take it in for a minute. "Wanna see your house?" 

"We just came down here."

"We can see it from here, security cameras," he hit a button, and one of the screens came to life. "So you got the kitchen, living room, dining room, guest bedroom/study, master bedroom, basement, back lawn, and the front."

"Freeze, on the front lawn, look." She pointed to the black dot on the screen. 

"Oh, now the fun begins, watch this." Gibbs pressed another button, and sprinklers turned on. They could both hear Tony's curses.

"Jethro, what is that beside him?" Jenny asked.

"Let's go find out." She watched him lock the room, pressing in a touch code.  _ 2-29-91 _ ,  _ I can remember that _ she thought momentarily before following along back up the stairs. They got to the front door just as Tony rang the bell, Gibbs opened it and slapped him upside the head.

"Yea probably deserved that Boss. Director."

"You better not have gotten those clothes wet."

"Nah, I already bought the clothes by they're sitting on the bed. Thought I'd bring your friend by." Jenny was surprised to see a large dog come through the door, coming up to her right away. 

"A dog?" She questioned.

"Security purposes meet Fido."

"Fido?"

"Well, I haven't named him yet."

"Boss, he's got a name, Abby made me get this one in particular."

"Alright, what's his name?"

"Duke." Jenny choked on her laughter, making a mental reminder to thank Abby.

"Hi Duke," Jenny greeted, kneeling. The dog promptly licked her. "Yuck."

"Say good night, Tony."

"Yeah, okay," Tony replied, snapping out of his observation of Jenny. "Night Director," Duke growled at him as he took a step toward her. 

"Good dog," Gibbs praised. "Tony, I want those case reports in one piece and stop picking on McGee, or I'm going to let Ziva demonstrate her paper clip skills."

"Ouch, I'll get right on that, Boss." Tony left, carefully dashing from the door to his car and driving off. 

"A dog Jethro?"

"He serves a purpose," Gibbs assured. Jenny sighed, scratching the dog's ears. 

"Fine, I'm going to shower first," she turned on her heel, heading for the stairs, Duke at her heels. She was just reaching the second floor when she heard Jethro behind her, and Duke stopped and growled. 

"Hey, you're not supposed to do that," Gibbs scolded.

"Good dog," Jenny praised. Of course, an hour later, she was not sure that was the best command to have given. She had slid on to the king's size bed when she noticed Gibbs' duffel bag was missing. She looked into the guest bedroom and then down the stairs and found him trying to figure out how to sleep on the couch. "Jethro."

"Jen?" He came to the bottom step. 

"It's a king-size bed, and I'm pretty sure we've shared less space."

"Well, I…"

"And if our friend comes back? Some kind of recon? Idiot," She turned on her heel, walking back toward the bedroom, pretty sure she'd made her point as she heard him on the stairs. "Sheesh Duke, it's not like I bite." He listened to a woof.

"I beg to differ," Jethro mumbled.

"Heard that!" She snapped, throwing a pillow at him the second he walked in. He caught it barely and looked at it. He couldn't see any fluffy, frilly items on it and decided it would do. 

"You still sleep on the left side?"

"Depends you still sleep on the right?" She inquired, turning down the left, slid carefully. He nodded slightly and moved toward the right sliding onto the bed, well aware that while there were at least two feet between, there were only two feet between them. Gibbs felt the shift in the weight, followed by a woof. "Duke down." 

Duke did not move.

"I'm buying him a dog bed tomorrow."

"Fine, you never did tell me where he's from?"

"Tobias is letting me borrowing him, technically he's a dropout and should go to another family, but he's only a drop out because he mauled a bad guy. He's been trained to recognize you as his master, plus he likes you."

"Added security."

"Just a precaution, especially if we can't be here all the time."

"He'll have to stay on our vacation if we go."

"He can come, I've already had the possible venues screened. Ziva put the information in the file Tony brought over."

"Okay," she yawned. 

"Go to sleep, Jen." She yawned again.

"Okay." He listened to her breathing and knew the second it evened out, surprised that even after all this time, he could tell when she'd finally fallen asleep. He glanced over to find Duke's big brown eyes wide open, staring at him.

"Yea, fine, you get to sleep next to her tonight, but not afterward, got it?" The dog put his head down and closed his eyes. "Good dog."


	4. Photographic Memories

The morning came with its usual bright sunshine. It peaked in through the window and slid along the figures resting in the bed. One, in particular, felt the sunshine and knew it was time to get up. He raised his head from its soft spot and looked at the other two. The mistress was still sleeping as was the master, but Duke knew who to wake up. He brought his nose close to his master's cheek and started licking him. 

"Duke…" came the low growl. "Back to sleep."

The licking continued, and the whining began. Gibbs glanced at the dog and over its head to find Jenny completely oblivious in her own world of sleep. 

"Course, wake me, not her, come on dog," he sighed. He carefully got out of bed, grabbing a sweatshirt, Duke following. He headed toward the door, and Duke went racing past him. He checked the house as Duke went sniffing around the front yard, taking care of business. Gibbs watched the dog carefully and picked up the newspaper glancing at the headline.  _ Must have coffee,  _ his mind processed. He went in quickly, locating the coffee maker, Duke lying at his feet. He set it up and retrieved his earpiece and microphone. He glanced down at Duke for a minute longer before turning the devices on.

"Boss?" Tony's voice came online almost immediately.

"Something wrong DiNozzo."

"No, Boss, well yea, actually Cynthia is freaking out looking for the Director. Ziva is threatening to restrain her. Apparently, someone showed up unexpectedly, and…"

"Is that Gibbs?"

"Abby, what is going on?"

"Cynthia is freaking, Tony's afraid Ziva is going to gag her, I'm hoping she will, huh gag her that is, and McGee and I found something very interesting in your truck," Abby explained.

"Where's Ziva?"

"Hello Gibbs," her voice came in. "I know Jenny likes her, but I'm going to…"

"No, you will not, Officer David."

"Could you please get Jenny to check in with her?"

"She's asleep."

"Tell that to Cynthia," Ziva commented, slapping Tony for making suggestive comments. 

"I will, and slap DiNozzo again."

"On it." 

"Agent Gibbs, this better be important."

"Cynthia, the Director, is fine, she's asleep."

"Asleep?"

"Yes, she's sleeping, so unless you want to be the one to wake her up…"

"I really think she needs to be here, Agent Gibbs. This is something…"

"Fine, fine, I'll wake her up," he replied. He clicked off his microphone. He walked up the stairs into the room, set her earpiece right next to her hear along with her microphone. "Okay, Duke." The dog came in and dropped to the ground beside the bed. "Duke…" Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough. He felt the barrel of her gun at his knee, and her warm hand covered his mouth.

"One more sound, and I'll shoot you."

"Way to go, Jenny!" Tony's voice came loud and clear through the tiny earpiece, and Jenny's eyes opened glaring first at Gibbs and then at the irritating little device on the nightstand. 

"DiNozzo, don't make me fire you."

"Sorry, Director, uh Cynthia wants a word."

"What is it, Cynthia?" She demanded, Gibbs, trying to ease away carefully.

"Uh Director, I'm not sure you want to hear this over the line…"

"Ziva, your team goes off now," Jenny ordered she heard the affirmative and the click and glanced at Gibbs.

"They're off," he assured. 

"Out Jethro, God only knows what this is about," she warned, grabbing her cell phone, hearing Cynthia pick up on the other end. "Cynthia, this better be good."

"Director, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there are two senators here and…"

"Senators?"

"Yes, they're here about the three murdered couples, they want to speak to you immediately."

"Which Senators?"

"Sumter and Glock."

"Fine, put them on the phone." She could hear Cynthia chattering away.

"They want an in-person meeting."

"Can't do that, Cynthia, cancel all my appointments through the weekend and tell them I will be unavailable. You'll get an explanation from Ziva."

"Of course, Director." Minutes later, she was assuring the two Senators that she was personally overseeing the investigation and that it was being handled by her best team, and they expected results shortly. After she hung up, she stared at her phone; Duke put his head on her lap. 

"Yea, yea, I love my job," she told herself and him. "Jethro!"

"Jenny?" he called just as loudly.  _ Okay, point made.  _ She pulled on a long fleece robe and wandered downstairs, Duke faithfully by her side. "You want eggs or French toast?" He inquired when she entered the kitchen.

"Uh…which ever you're making?"

"Both it is." He didn't even look up just continued working around the kitchen. 

"Your team is quiet."

"Oh, I just called Tony and told him to handle things. He'll call us if he needs us," Gibbs said. 

"Any news?"

"Abby found a GPS tracker and microphone on the car. She's analyzing. She thinks the doctor might track her clients to make sure they follow through."

"Well, it would explain why our friend left the restaurant." 

"I told them to go through all of Colmen's employees. So far, they've only found the assistant, no major hits, but they're checking national and international."

"Unless he's the killer and he's trying to figure out which person to target," Jenny theorized. "Or he could know what she is and could be trying to warn us off, hence the messing with the truck."

"Well, Abby will try to find out…" he was cut off as the phone on the table rang. It was their cover phone, and they looked at each other. "You answer." Jenny nodded and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jenny, Christine Colmen."

"Oh, hello."

"I've just gotten off the phone with the venue for the retreat I was telling you about. There is one position left, would and your husband like to go?"

"Ah, one second," Jenny placed the phone on mute and turned to Jethro. "There's space on the retreat."

"Okay."

"So, I'll tell her we're going."

"Fine," he sighed, getting up and leaving the room. She glared at his retreating form.

"Christine?"

"Yes, dear?"

"We'd love to go along, thank you so much for the opportunity."

"My pleasure, now any questions?"

"Oh, uh, we have a dog, would he…"

"He'd be more than welcome. We like couples to be as relaxed as possible."

"Thank you," Jenny returned.

"Just one more thing, it's a five and a half-day retreat we leave tomorrow afternoon and stay through Sunday."

"Of course, I'll be sure to get directions." Jenny wrote down the address Christine gave her.

"And due to our retreat, I will be doing mostly group sessions, but each couple will have two individual sessions over the five days, so I would like to see you and Jethro Thursday and Saturday."

"Of course, are there any formal events?"

"Dinner each night is dressy, but otherwise play clothes. There will be skiing opportunities, hiking, ice skating, and it's a quaint old town with lots of historical places and little shops."

"Wonderful, thank you so much. We'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." The phone clicked, and Jenny turned hers off.  _ Looks like I better dig out the ski stuff. _

"Jethro?" She heard a woof from outside and so went out on to the back porch to find Gibbs trying to fix a part of the deck with Duke bringing him a ball to toss. "Arrangements are made, we leave tomorrow." 

"Then we should probably go into the office today and sort everything out with them and find a place in that town for the team to get set up."

"We've done undercover before without backup."

"Yea, and you got shot."

"The couples were fine at the retreat. It was afterward. We need to figure out what triggers her."

"I've been through all the obvious, and unfortunately, I think we'll have to try something else."

"Cheating?"

"Told her I never did, or that you would." Jenny looked confused for a moment.

"When did you do that?"

"Our five minutes alone."

"She asked you if you'd cheated?" 

"Among other things."

"And what were these other things?"

"What did she ask you?" 

"Don't change the topic, Jethro."

"I'm not, what did she ask you?" He repeated. She glared for a minute before conceding.

"She asked me if I thought you would divorce me too."

"And you said?"

"I didn't know," Jenny answered. He pondered that for a minute. 

"That was all she asked?"

"What did she ask you?" Jenny tried again. He said nothing just went back into the kitchen and cleaned up the dishes from breakfast. She slumped down in the chair, watching him for a second, ignoring how right the situation felt, even if she was irritated with him. "We can't ignore this forever, Jethro."

"Ignore what, Jen?"

"You know damn well what," her voice went cold. He glanced over at her, surprised by the anger he noticed radiating off her. "Go ahead, say whatever it is you want." 

"Nothing to say," he responded.

"So that's it, you're just going to keep lying to me."

"Lying to you? You're one to talk," Gibbs snorted well aware that this was about to get rather ugly and probably delve into topics he had long since ignored. They were both surprised by the throat-clearing in the doorway.

"I think you should both take a break," Ducky's voice called.

"Ducky," Jenny greeted coolly. 

"How'd you get in?" Jethro questioned.

"Abby gave me the key," he informed, glancing at them both. "Don't let me interrupt."

"You weren't interrupting," Gibbs assured, grabbing a cup for his old friend. 

"I'll be in the study," Jenny said and left the kitchen, the door to the study slamming, Ducky noticed Gibbs cringe.

"So, what did you do this time?" Ducky inquired.

"Me? What makes you think I did something?" Ducky just met his gaze and held it. "I didn't do anything. She's the one that wants to have it out."

"Is there something you two need to discuss?"

"It's a little late for that, Duck."

"It is never too late. She's still here."

"She won't tell me what the counselor asked her."

"And you won't tell her, so that makes you both even."

"I can't tell her." 

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Did you ever think that maybe she can't tell you either?" Gibbs said nothing. "Jethro, what did the counselor ask you?"

"Something I couldn't lie about." 

"Did you lie about any of the other answers?"

"No."

"Then what is the problem?"

"Because if she was asked the same question, she had to have lied."

"You don't know that for sure, till you speak with her." 

"Well, that's obviously not happening," Gibbs muttered, glancing down the hall at the still closed study door. 

"Did you two have to fill out anything?" Ducky asked, hoping to draw out the cause of this fight.

"Yea, a questionnaire."

"May I?" Ducky reached for the form Gibbs held out.

"Suit yourself." 

"Did she get one?"

"She put it in her purse," Gibbs said. Ducky smirked; it was probably the only place Jethro wouldn't search for something. He stayed far away from women's purses.

"Well, then I'll just go get it." Ducky turned down the hall and stopped at the study door, knocking gently. 

"Has hell frozen over?" Jenny questioned unlocking and opening the door, only to be shocked at her visitor. 

"Afraid not, my dear."

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, I thought I'd stop by and check in on you both, make sure you haven't killed him yet."

"I haven't, as you can see."

"And Jethro mentioned a questionnaire."

"Oh."

"Yes, he let me borrow his, I was hoping you might." 

"Ducky…"

"Oh, don't you worry, I won't let him see it, just like I won't let you see his," Ducky promised. Jenny was hesitant but knew that Ducky would keep his word to Jethro and, in turn, to her.

"Fine." She retrieved the form. "How's the agency?"

"We're surviving. Most of the teams are busy with cases. Ziva has not killed Anthony yet, but Abby might kill McGee."

"Oh, did she get the Caff-Pow I sent her?"

"Yes, she wanted me to thank you for that." 

"Tell her she can have as many as she wants. I set up an account over there on Jethro's tab." 

"Jennifer…" he scolded lightly, scanning the form. "How did the counseling go?"

"Pretending to be married to a man who has multiple failed marriages...it has complications." 

"You two have pretended to be a couple before, married even."

"You know very well it didn't take much acting then," Jenny reminded. 

"Jennifer, it only takes as much effort as you think it should."

"Ducky, it's just…not the same."

"No, but seldom do things stay the same. You two have gotten along rather well lately. He brought you coffee the other day." 

"So?" Ducky sighed;  _ once in a while, it would have been nice if Gibbs didn't always fall for the stubborn ones. _

"Jennifer, what's the real problem here?"

"There is no problem. This is hopefully going to be over soon, and we can get back to business as usual." Jenny said, twisting the rings around her finger furiously. 

"Very well, I'll read over these," Ducky announced, settling into the chair. 

"Ducky…"

"Hm?"

"Do you think she did it?" Jenny asked, glancing at the file in front of her desk. Ducky could just make out the photos of the crime scenes. 

"It is possible." 

"Why, physically torture only one?"

"Do you not think it was torture for the other to watch?"

"Of course but, why not just shoot them?"

"Well, and this is just a theory mind you, but based on the bodies and the lives of our couples here, I would say that whoever killed them wanted something from the partner that was not harmed."

"I'll stop hurting your partner if you give me what I want kind of thing?"

"Exactly."

"So, why not just agree?"

"Well, that's the frustrating part, unless what they wanted was to kill the unharmed one."

"Interesting theory."

"Do you think he would do that for you?" Ducky inquired carefully. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know."

"Would you do it?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation, looking down at the photos. Ducky sat back in the chair, watching her for a moment. Whether or not she knew Jethro's answer, he did and was not surprised that it was the same as hers. "But…what if that's not it?"

"What do you mean?" 

"Tony and Ziva think that this success couple, one of them is having an affair with the good doctor, they're just not sure which one."

"What do you think?"

"She might try to make a move on Jethro."

"You sure about that?" Jenny looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Woman intuition, very well, can't disagree with that."

"I didn't do anything. I'm not sure if any of the other couples would have cared so much."

"Keep an eye on her, Jennifer," Ducky warned. She nodded her agreement and turned back to the cases. Minutes later, they both heard another knock to the door. 

"No, you may not come in," Jenny said clearly.

"Ducky…" Jethro's voice was as close to a whiny protest as he was likely to get, and Ducky looked over at the woman. She was smirking faintly, no doubt enjoying the fact that he was still on the other side of the door. "Duke, knock it off."

"Duke?"

"That's the dog, Abby picked him out."

"How very John Wayne."

"Ducky, you done gossiping with her?"

"Very well, Jethro," Ducky called. He handed Jenny one of the questionnaire forms back. "Fascinating read, my dear."

"Ziva knows how to kill people without leaving any evidence."

"Point well made, do not worry," Ducky assured, walking toward the door. He opened it to be met with Duke and Gibbs, both waiting eagerly for access to the room. Duke was permitted in, but Ducky blocked Gibbs' path. "Let's have a cup of coffee, Jethro."

"Ducky…" But Ducky was already backing down the hall heading for the kitchen. Gibbs followed reluctantly after closing the door to the study. Jenny looked up as the door shut and found Duke beside her.

"Hi boy," she greeted, scratching his ears. She picked up the questionnaire form going to put it back in her purse when she glanced at the writing.  _ That's not my writing _ . She quickly discovered it was Jethro's, and then she was presented with a very difficult quandary. She could read it; she could not read it and give it back to him knowing that he might have read hers, or she could read it, give it back and pretend she hadn't.  _ Course, he does know my tell. _ _ Damn you, Jethro. _ She unfolded the form again,  _ in the interest of preserving the investigation _ , she told herself. 

** What is the most irritating thing your signification other does? **

** She cut her hair, irritated the hell out of me, because I liked it, almost as much as I like her long hair.  **

Well, that was news to her. She hadn't even though he noticed. She was fully aware that her hair had been something he loved, and she'd cut it to make a point,  _ which backfired. _

** Do you think your significant other still holds affection for you? **

** In her own way, yes.  **

And what exactly was that supposed to mean? She reread the answer. Was that what he thought, that she didn't truly care about him, because she knew that wasn't the case.

** Where did you share your first kiss? **

** Well, the official one was in this attic in Marseilles when it just sort of happened. But technically, she was unconscious the first time I kissed her.  **

She reread that answer twice as well. She remembered their first kiss very well, sometimes she could still feel it, but the fact that he'd kissed her once before that without her knowledge was slightly unsettling. She tried to think back, guessing there was only one time. It was the same day as their first kiss, but she'd been so jetlagged she'd slept for a little while longer. She had felt what she thought was a kiss in a dream on her forehead, _ but maybe it was real? _

** How does s/he make you laugh? **

** I don't know how she does it. If I did, I would get her to keep doing it, but she just does.  **

That made her smile because truly she hadn't heard him laugh in a long while, at least a true laugh. It made her warm and fuzzy inside to think that occasionally she could make him happy. 

She read through the rest of it, smirking at his answer to any and all questions related to sex. It was not a surprise to her that he could so easily remember that aspect of their relationship;  _ after all, it was the first thing he remembered about me. _ She placed it away as she finished it pondering how she was simply to ignore the fact that to the last question on the page, he'd answered no, but elaborated. Her practical side was trying to reassert itself. She had a job to do. Emotions could not factor into that.

\--

When Gibbs reached the kitchen, Ducky was fixing some coffee into a travel mug. He watched his older friend fix it up exactly as he liked it and then pouring it perfectly. 

"Jethro pouring coffee is not an art."

"What did she say?"

"She hasn't killed you yet, which I could see for myself."

"Cute Duck, what else did she say?"

"She asked about the agency and the team."

"That's it?"

"What did you think she would tell me?"

"Something more than that."

"I'm not her confidant Jethro. To be honest, I'm not sure who would be." There was a silence as Ducky watched the younger man process the words. "Well I've left Mr. Palmer alone long enough, I best get back to work. Try not to get into trouble, Jethro."

"Yea, sure."

"Oh right, this is yours," Ducky handed over the questionnaire form and left. Gibbs sat down at the kitchen table, contemplating what to do with the questionnaire. He unfolded it, only to fold it back up when he realized the thin flowy script was not his own. He could put it back in her purse, but Ducky had probably asked her for it, so that would be suspicious. He could not read and give it back to her, knowing that she probably had his and had probably read it. He could just read it, or he could read it, give it back, and pretend not to have.  _ For my sanity, _ he thought, opening it again. 

** What is the most irritating thing your significant other does? **

** Interrupts important phone calls. **

He had been half expecting the barging into her office unannounced, but he supposed the two went together. 

** Do you think your significant other still holds affection for you? **

** In his own way, yes, he does. **

Well, that was certainly a familiar answer. He didn't want to read too much into it that they had both answered more or less with the same, vague answer. He'd been fairly certain that she knew he loved her, but apparently not. 

** Where did you share your first kiss? **

** An attic in Marseilles, at sunset. It was a long night. **

He smirked at that. Their first kiss had not been unexpected; it seemed almost inevitable. So when they'd had a few more glasses of bourbon than they might usually, he hadn't been too concerned. He still wasn't sure who had kissed whom first, but it was something he could almost still feel. It had been the beginning of them, the way they were supposed to be. Since their…separation, he'd lost count of the number of times he'd almost kissed her. 

__ ** How does s/he make you laugh? **

** When he does something, I least expect but should've known.  **

Well, he'd file that away for future use, mainly because if she was laughing, he wanted to laugh too. He continued to read the form, a content grin on his face as he read her answers concerning the more intimate parts of their relationship. It was something that was almost always floating around in the back of his head. It was sometimes very hard to take her seriously in her fancy business suits when he knew what lay underneath them. It was also very good to know that he wasn't the only one who was affected. Though as he refolded the questionnaire back in thirds, he seriously wondered how he was going to ignore her answer to the last question on the form. 

\--

The rest of the day was rather quiet. Jenny had spent most of the day in the study working on reports that Cynthia emailed to her and dealing with the people who would not listen to her assistant in her place. Gibbs had spent the day in the downstairs room staying in contact with his team, along with the side monitor always had running security footage of different areas of the house on one side and Jenny on the other. Through this, it was easy to observe as she skipped lunch and just worked and worked. He, on the other hand, had wished he could be in the office so he could slap DiNozzo upside the head. The younger man was quickly earning multiple head slaps, and Gibbs knew that he felt rather safe knowing Ziva would only slap him on camera at Gibbs' orders. He'd contacted Abby and asked her to drive by Jenny's house and get Noemi to put together a bag for her trip, and then told McGee to go get his stuff. McGee had been more than grateful to get out of NCIS and had brought the bag to Abby's lab, and Abby would deliver both bags around dinnertime. The phone ringing at a quarter to five brought Gibbs out of the basement and Jenny out of her study. They both made it to the kitchen, Jenny nodding for Gibbs to grab the phone, falling immediately into their covers.

"Hello."

"Jethro, Christine Colmen, so sorry to bother you again."

"Not a problem, what can we do for you?"

"I just wanted to run over some points with you and Jenny, is she there?"

"Yes," he said, gesturing for Jenny to come closer and turning the phone on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Jenny, good evening."

"Good evening Dr. Colmen."

"I just wanted to run over some stuff with you two. First, I would like it if you could put together a photo album together, your selves, people in your life, that sort of thing, we'll be sharing some memories at the group sessions and go more in-depth during our individual ones. I also just wanted to remind you to pack warmly; it can get very cold at night."

"Of course, thank you, Doctor," Gibbs responded.

"Have a nice evening. See you tomorrow."

"Good night," Jenny answered. Gibbs hung up, and the two stared at the phone mainly to avoid looking at each other. Jenny lost her patience first. "I saw that Abby brought by a couple of pictures, most of the old team, but…"

"I have an album somewhere…it has a couple more of all of us."

"Yea, I think I might have some too."

"McGee could probably make some."

"In one night?"

"I'll call Abby, does Noemi know where the album is?"

"No, I'll tell Abby." Gibbs dialed the number.

"Silver fox, I'm running late!" Abby said into the phone.

"Don't worry about it, Abby. I need you to do us a favor?"

"What's up, Bossman?"

"I need you to get something out of the basement."

"What do you need? I'm not sure I can get the boat out of there."

"A photo album."

"Oh, oh…" Abby trailed off for a second. "Near the workbench?"

"Yes."

"I'll find it."

"Good, Jenny wants to talk to you." He handed Jenny the phone and left the kitchen.

"Abby, I need you to stop at my house, tell Noemi you're allowed in my room."

"I've got your bag already."

"I know, I need a photo album as well, there's a key in the bathroom drawer, taped to the bottom. It opens the safe in the back of the closet. The photo album is in there."

"And then I forget about it?"

"Something like that."

"Alright."

"Thank you, Abby."

"Thanks for the Caff-Pow." Jenny hung up the phone and wandered back into the living room, where Gibbs was staring at a framed photo of their team in Europe. 

"This came from you?" He inquired.

"Yes, Abby must have taken it out of the study."

"She getting the album?"

"Plural, she's picking mine up too."

"Oh."

"We'll need an empty one. We need a wedding photo too."

"That could present a problem."

"Not necessarily." He looked over at her as she ran her hand along the books on the wall. 

"You wanna tell me something?" 

"We could have had a causal wedding, four weddings Jethro. I can't imagine you aren't sick of brides in white."

"Causal wedding?" 

"If we'd gotten married, we would have had to elope anyways, I'm sure we could find some photo of us, dressed up, with people around, and we could pass it off." He didn't say anything, and they fell into an almost comfortable silence only broken by Duke's bark as Abby pulled in the drive. She was out of the car and up the steps quickly, Gibbs and Jenny waiting for her on the steps. 

"Hi!" She called loudly.

"Hello, Abby," Jenny called back. "Jethro get the bags, I'll get Abby something to eat." Gibbs rolled his eyes but did as he was told picking up the two duffel bags and bringing them in the house. The skis he glanced at for a second before looking around the house. There were no cars staking out the place, so he figured it was safe to put the ski rack and the skis on the grey Ford Escape that sat in the driveway. He did it carefully, knowing Jenny had already taken Abby in the house and was probably getting dinner ready. 

"Duke," Gibbs called fifteen minutes later when he was finished. The dog bounded toward him from the back of the house. "Good boy. Let's get some dinner." He went in to find Abby and Jenny standing around the counter, the table set, and dinner cooking. "What's for dinner?"

"Pasta," Abby answered happily. 

"I figured it wasn't too hard," Jenny elaborated.

"Yea, you should be able to handle that," He commented sarcastically. He missed Abby's disapproving glare but noticed Jenny seemed unresponsive. Dinner was quiet; Abby was regaling Jenny with all the happenings and gossip of the office, while she seemed to ignore Gibbs. Jenny noticed but said nothing, sure that if there was tension between him and his favorite, he'd deal with it himself. Abby helped Jenny clean up as Gibbs went to walk Duke. He came back just as Abby was putting her coat on to leave. 

"Well, I have a party to get to."

"Be safe," Jenny said.

"Of course, night Director," Abby replied. 

"Good night Abby," Jenny said.

"Night, Abby," Gibbs tried. 

"Night," she said coolly. Jenny looked at him, surprised, but he simply glared at Abby, who glared back. Jenny walked the younger woman out to her car, stopping her from getting in.

"What's the matter, Abby?" 

"Nothing."

"Abby, why are you giving Gibbs the cold shoulder?"

"Because he shouldn't say those things."

"What things?"

"What he said about your cooking?"

"Abby, he knows I'm more likely to burn the kitchen down then actually cook something. It used to be a running joke with us."

"Maybe all those years ago, but not now. It's like he doesn't even notice," Abby protested. Jenny looked at her curiously.

"What doesn't he notice?"

"That you're not just the Director. He doesn't care that you could probably lose your job because you keep trying to keep him out of trouble, or that you defend him at all. He just expects you to do it."

"Abby, Abby calm down," Jenny pleaded, wondering just how many other people underestimated the girl's skills of perception. "Abby, he doesn't care because he doesn't know."

"He knows." Jenny conceded that it was possible; after all, he was Gibbs.

"Be that as it may, it's just the way he is. You and I both know that," Jenny pointed out. "Gibbs is the way he is, and that's not likely to change."

"Then how come you still love…" Jenny covered the younger woman's mouth. 

"Who told you that?"

"Found the picture frame in the safe."

"What picture frame?" Abby reached into her car and pulled out a double frame that was exquisitely made, and Jenny remembered purchasing it in Cairo. She glanced from one photo to the other, the people in them. Some photographer took the first one beside a bridge randomly, and she was staring up at him, smiles across both their faces. The second one, Abby, had given to her, taken it when she and Gibbs weren't paying attention because they were too focused on each other. The frame was engraved with hieroglyphics. 

"I can read them, it was a hobby," Abby explained.

"I see, well, it seems like you have your answer."

"A picture is worth a thousand words, and you have two."

"Very wise, Abby, now off you go, he's probably already worried." Abby nodded, surprising Jenny when she hugged her. Jenny backed up the steps and watched Abby drive out, knowing the second he had stepped outside the door. 

"She okay?" She glanced at him out of their corner of her eye. 

"No, you upset her," and she walked past him into the house. 

"Me? What did I do?"

"You'll have to ask her that," Jenny responded, giving him an answer he'd once given her. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't give you an answer."

"Why not?"

"Because she's your favorite, she's allowed to think those things."

"What things?" He looked at her. "Wait a minute, does this have to do with you?"

"Not entirely."

"Jenny…"

"Just give her time to cool off, she'll be fine."

"You'll tell me if she's not?"

"I'll consider it." Gibbs realized that would be the most he would get out of it, but he was going to try one more time.

"Does this have anything to do with what I said in the kitchen?"

"It triggered it," she responded, pulling her duffel bag into the living room. He picked it up for her and carried it. Jenny looked at him for a second, surprised by the gesture only to find him avoiding eye contact. "It didn't bother me."

"It doesn't mean Abby didn't know that."

"She didn't, but she's beginning to."

"Okay," he agreed, trying to find a topic to lighten the mood. "So, about those photos?" Jenny pulled out her album and set it beside the empty new one. Gibbs placed his album beside hers, brushing the dust off it. 

"So one from every city?" She questioned.

"Unless we find more we like."

"Okay, possible wedding photos go in that pile, and we'll vote."

"Okay." They worked steadily through the night, sharing a few laughs, few moments of silence as they looked through photos of friends who were long gone. By about midnight, they'd made it through the photo album and the bag of photos that Abby had apparently donated. Their wedding photo pile was rather small admittedly, but it had a few good choices. What surprised them was that they had both picked photos from the same event.

"We could use them all," Jenny suggested after staring at them for a moment. "Put them at the beginning of the album."

"Yea, there's this one, that could be the main photo." He held up a photo that was the larger shot, probably taken at the entrance of the event, which they'd decided, was some undercover thing. She had on an ivory dress with a pastel green overlay, and he was dressed sharply in a tuxedo. It was casual enough to wear to the event, but she'd believe it if someone told her this was a wedding photo. In this particular one, she was standing beside him, turned toward him slightly, and he had his arm around her. They looked every inch the loving couple.

"Okay, I can put them in if you want to check with the team or something," she said, beginning to place the photos in the album. 

"I'll just take a shower; it's about a three-hour drive." She nodded and turned back to the album. A minute later, his voice came from down the hallway. "Oh Jen, I think Ducky gave me back your questionnaire, I'll just leave it on the desk for you." 

"Yours is by the lamp on the desk," she called back and smirked lightly.  _ That's certainly one way to ignore the giant pink elephant. _ She finished putting the album together and flipped through it again. They looked every inch a loving couple, but looking at it like this, Jenny could almost see the shift before her. As they got to the end of their partnership, things had started to become difficult. She looked at the pictures from her first year as Director. There was a hardness in her that was missing in the earlier photos, and there was a difference in him as well, she just wasn't sure what it was. Together they still looked good, stood closer to one another than normal people might, suggesting an intimacy that was no longer present, or rather actively present. If she thought about it, there was a subconscious intimacy in their actions. He'd step to close to her when they were talking; she'd look over his shoulder and drink from his coffee. It was a leftover intimacy from their former relationship, one that always lingered on the sidelines. Jenny wasn't an idiot; she knew there was a possibility that she'd never end up with anyone in her life because she was content being around him. It was sad commentary in of out itself, but she knew it was the truth. 

Jenny closed the album and put their individual ones on the shelf. She wasn't quite sure what it meant that he had an album full of pictures of their time. She wondered if he'd kept photos of his ex-wives as well or if she was different. She supposed she wouldn't ever know, mainly because the odds of him letting her search his house were about as good as her letting him search her house. Regardless of her secrets, her house held more, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to know that. Of course, the other side was that his house held secrets as well, and it was a rather depressing thought that they both lived in the houses that held painful memories for both of them.  _ Ironic too, _ she thought morbidly amused. She had heard the water shut off and was contemplating going upstairs when she heard him on the stairs. Duke looked up from his spot on the floor at her feet but didn't move as Jethro entered the room.

"You going to sleep anytime soon?" 

"Yea, I'm just going to shower," she replied, standing up and heading for the bedroom. 

"I'll let Duke out."

"Okay." She gathered everything she would need to get ready for bed and double-checked just to make sure. She was not going to tempt fate in this situation any more than she had. She stayed in the shower a tad longer than usual, letting the hot water take away her stress and tried to ignore the thought that on the other side of the door was one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She dried off quickly, put on her sweats and tank top, and ran her fingers through her hair. She didn't want to turn on the hairdryer and wake Gibbs up if he was sleeping. She stepped out of the bathroom, shutting off the light and walking back towards the bed. Gibbs was asleep on his side, or at least she thought he was asleep. She noticed Duke had his own bed now, and if the skull and crossbones pattern was anything to go by, Abby was probably the one who bought it. She figured it wasn't a big deal that there wasn't an actual divider, two feet was plenty of space. She turned on her side, curling up. 

"G'night, Jen." His voice was a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. 

"Night." She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. A half-hour later, she was just falling under the haze when she felt him shift next to her, stealing her own body heat. She wasn't coherent enough to object, and she fell asleep with a smile spread across her face. 


	5. Road Trip

_ She could feel every knife they stabbed into him. She could hear her voice outside her own body, begging them to stop. There was another voice, laughing, asking her what she thought of her lover now. She pleaded with them to stop as blood stained the sheets. She struggled against her bonds, trying to break free. She felt the tears stinging her face, knowing she shouldn't be revealing so much emotion, and yet unable to stop them this time. She saw the knife rise again, and based on the direction she knew the blow would be fatal, she screamed. _

Gibbs froze as a scream filtered into his sleep-filled brain. He sat straight up as the scream registered and was recognized as Jenny. He looked over to his side to find she had somehow managed to wrap herself up tightly in the sheets, and she was sweating, her eye movement fast. Duke, he noticed, had quickly moved to the side, ready to defend her but was now staring at him with loss in his eyes. He didn't understand what was wrong with her, but Gibbs could see the makings of a nightmare, one that, for whatever reason, had hit her deeply. 

"Jenny!" He called gently but forcefully, trying to drag her out of her nightmare. She seemed to tense, but it was obvious to him she was still asleep. "Jen wake up," he tried again. She still didn't budge but seemed to calm down, and curled up on her side facing him. With her face now bathed in moonlight, he could make out the faint tear tracks and was even more worried. He shook her gently and called to her again, trying to drag her out. He was trying to figure out what could have caused this nightmare, wondering if perhaps her apparent calmness in the last few months was a façade. She finally began to stir, and when she swatted at him as he shook her again, he knew she was coming out of it. Her eyes blinked open and widened as he came into her view. He could sense her movement and grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

"What's the matter?" Jenny questioned.

"I should be asking you that you had a nightmare." She looked at him, confused for a second before remembering what she had seen as she closed her eyes for a moment.

"I'm fine," she said forcibly. 

"You are not fine. What happened?"

"Nothing, just …nothing."

"I didn't want to do this, Jen. Duke!" Duke bounded onto the bed, settling between them, licking Jenny's arm in a comforting motion. 

"Duke!" She protested. "Interrogation by the dog?"

"Come on, what did you see?"

"It's nothing, Jethro." 

"Was it the frog?" He asked carefully. She met his eyes over Duke and shook her head, unsure where that had question had come from. "Then, what was it?"

"Just the case, I should know better than to look at crime scene photos before going to sleep," she finally revealed. He studied her for a second.

"You want out Jenny, just say the word, and we'll call this off."

"I'm fine, Jethro, really!" she protested again. He didn't look convinced but nodded his head. "Now will you get him off, he's lying on my arm."

"Duke down," Gibbs commanded, and the Duke slowly moved off the bed, surprising Jenny by lying down on her side of the bed. Gibbs closed his eyes and counted to one hundred before opening them again. In that time, he'd felt Jenny shift to her other side, and as he opened his eyes, he knew she wasn't asleep. "Jen…"

"I'm fine."

"You can't go back to sleep," he stated. 

"I will just probably need some water or something," she replied, moving to get up. Gibbs held her in place and then got up himself. He came around to her side, Duke moving out of the way. She looked up at him and stared as he held out his hand. She took it, and he led her to the bathroom. He turned on the shower.

"Have a shower. You'll feel better," he suggested leaving the room. Jenny heard him dig around in her drawer for a second before returning and knocking on the door. She had stepped into the shower, thankful the curtain was dark. She gave him the okay, and he entered. "Towel and new pajamas." 

"Thank you," she responded hesitantly, not really sure what he was doing. He left, and she heard him leave the bedroom, telling Duke to stand guard. She finished in the shower and dried off, pulling on her clean pajamas. She stepped out of the room to find that he had changed the sheets on the bed and fluffed her pillows. Her eyes widened, and she wandered down the hall looking for him. She heard a noise in the kitchen and found him boiling water. He poured the water into two teacups and turned as he heard her feet on the floor. 

"Hey, you could have stayed up there."

"Jethro…what…"

"Here." He handed her the cup. She eyed the contents warily before taking a sip, and finding to her surprise; it was chamomile tea. 

"I didn't think we had tea in the house."

"Abby must have stocked it, she likes to drink tea on very rare occasions," Gibbs said. She nodded, taking another sip watching in surprise as he drank some too. She would have sworn on any other day that the man lived and breathed coffee, but here he was drinking tea. "Wanna watch a movie?" 

"Jethro…" But he was already off in the direction of the living room where there was a large flat-screen TV. He was already flipping channels. He stopped at  _ The Mummy  _ and stared at it for a second. "You won't like it, mummies and stuff."

"Hollywood _ , _ " he sighed. He flipped again. "Oh, Jenny, your favorite person." She looked at the screen to find Sean Connery in Russian military uniform.

"Movie's over, that's the last scene," she informed, recognizing the quote. She took the remote out of his hand and pressed the forward button to see what was next. 

" _ National Treasure _ ," he read. "Sounds dull."

"Actually, you might like it," Jenny replied. "You like American history, after all."

"Okay." He watched her settle down on the couch, carefully curling into the far side. As the credits rolled for  _ The Hunt for Red October _ , she glanced over at him. 

"Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"Why are we watching a movie at two in the morning?"

"Because we can," he answered and continued adding a cocky grin, "Besides, you wouldn't have gone back to sleep, and it is impossible to sleep next to you when you're tossing and turning." She didn't respond. She was rather touched that he had gone through this for her. Sacrificing the little sleep, he got to stay up with her. Though as she thought about it, she realized it wasn't the first time he'd stayed up with her after a nightmare, he had just used other methods to distract her. Jenny realized if he had tried those, she would have gone along with it, as it was watching a movie was probably a safer idea. She glanced over at him as the new movie began to play and watched him eye it curiously before getting completely entranced. She grinned a little and turned back to the movie. Her eyes closed as she heard one of her favorite lines, the line that always reminded her of Gibbs.

_ "We don't someone crazy, but one step short of crazy, what do you get?" _

_ "Obsessed?" _

_ "Passionate." _

She smiled faintly as she heard a low chuckle from him, and then she felt the sound disappear, and she fell back into sleep. 

Gibbs knew the second she had fallen asleep and hoped she wouldn't mind too much; she had said she'd seen the movie before. He stayed and watched it, just to make sure she was all right. He figured if she slept through the whole movie, she'd be okay for the rest of the night. The movie he thought was pretty good; he could see why she liked it. As the credits rolled, though, he was presented with a small dilemma. Jenny was sound asleep on the couch. The couch was small and not comfortable, so option a, he could leave her there and listen to the complaining the whole next day, or the look of pain every time she moved, or option b, he could carry her back to bed. Carrying her to bed was not something he'd never done; he'd just been younger and not through two explosions. He took a deep breath; the pain would be bearable he decided and slipped an arm under her knees and another around her back, scooping her up carefully. Duke followed a few feet behind, and Gibbs was happy he didn't try to attack him. He moved up the stairs slowly, surprised that she weighed so little, he'd get on her case for that one later. He lay her down gently on the bed, tucking the covers around her and watching for a second as she turned and snuggled into them, not all bothered by her transport. He walked around to the other side and slid in beside her, pulling the covers around him. To his surprise, she rolled closer to him and settled in, absorbing his heat. He smirked as Duke jumped up on the foot of the bed and settled there. 

"Good boy," he whispered, before closing his eyes. His brief glance at the clock just as his eyes closed told him there was at least another two hours before they had to get up. 

\--

The buzzing of the alarm clock filled the room, and Jenny tried to swat at it, but the low groan told her she missed. Her eyes widened, and she glanced at her surroundings. She'd somehow gotten back to bed. She wasn't quite sure how, and she'd also managed to sleep closer to Jethro than she had in a while. 

"Ouch," he grumbled, feeling the effect of her swat.

"Sorry," Jenny whispered, quickly turning over and silencing the alarm clock before reburying herself in her pillow. 

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"Too early."

"Jen…"

"It's quarter to eight," she replied, her voice muffled by her pillow. 

"We should get on the road at nine." 

"Fine."

"That means up now, Jenny."

"Shut it; I'm still your boss," she grumbled. He laughed quietly as she felt him get out of the bed. She watched him go toward the door. "Jethro."

"Jen?"

"Thank you," she said quietly. He glanced over at his shoulder briefly to find her playing with the pillow.

"Your welcome." He left going to make coffee, and she smiled just a little bit before it faded as a thought crossed her mind. She quickly got out of bed and scurried to the steps.

"Jethro!"

"What Jen?"

"What are you wearing?" There was silence, and she reinterpreted her words. "To this thing? Are we going casual? Business?" 

"Jeans." She sighed, going back to the room, trying to debate on a sweater top to go with the jeans when another thought occurred to her. 

"Jethro?"

"What?"

"Problem." Gibbs came out of the kitchen and stood near the bottom of the stairs.

"What kind of problem?"

"These couples are all in the military, what are the odds they're going to recognize the Director of NCIS?" He looked at her for a moment; sometimes he forgot that she was so important, that she might be on TV or at some senate thing or military base,  _ although it explains why Ziva did background checks on all of them _ . 

"Ziva did background checks on them, I don't think there will be any, and besides just the other day I saw some actress that looked kinda like you, just say you get that a lot."

"Okay," she agreed, going back to the room again. She changed quickly, finding a pair of boots to go with the jeans, thankful that Abby and Noemi had both thought to pack various pairs of shoes. Ten minutes later, she was stepping into the kitchen, and Gibbs forgot how the oxygen exchange process worked. She looked at him for a moment, surprised that he hadn't said anything. "Jethro?" 

"Uh yeah?" he answered, grateful that she hadn't noticed him staring at her. 

"Something wrong?"

"Uh nope, have some coffee," Gibbs recovered, ignoring the fit of her jeans. He was not blind, he was fully aware that she was still as gorgeous as she had ever been, but it was much easier not to focus on it when she was in the business suits. "I'm going to get ready." 

Jenny watched him practically bolt from the kitchen up the stairs. She turned to the dog, who looked as confused as she did and shrugged her shoulders.  _ Wonder what his problem is. _ She sat down, flipping through the paper, and drinking her coffee. He came back ten minutes later in jeans and a shirt and poured himself a cup of coffee sitting down across from her. 

"So…"

"Yes, Jethro?" She said, not at all like the stalled silence.

"Are we an at war all the time couple, a sometime fighting couple, public fights couple?" She looked up over at him. 

"We could just see how they act and try and go from there."

"Possessive?"

"You or me?" He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll see how they interact, and we'll go from there." 

"You wanna drive?" Gibbs inquired. Her eyes widened.

"You're going to let me?"

"Only if you've learned how." Jenny laughed. 

"I don't break speed limits all the time."

"Then you haven't learned to drive, guess I'm driving."

"Oh goody," she remarked. She glanced at the clock and noticed the time started to get up and clean up the dishes. "You talked to the team?" 

"Not yet, we'll call them in the car. I'll pack the car. You wanna get Duke ready?"

"Sure." They ambled around doing out last-minute chores before grabbing everything they needed. Jenny grabbed a long warm coat and tossed it in the car. Gibbs had packed the trunk and folded down the back seat, so there was more space. Duke hoped right into his transport crate and laid down going to sleep. The crate took up most of the space in the back of the car, as it was enough room for Duke to turn around in. The suitcases were neatly stacked on the side, along with another bag. "What's in the black bag?"

"Your shoes dear," he replied, and she glanced over at him quickly, realizing it was not shoes but probably some sort of equipment. He slid into the driver's side, and she buckled her seatbelt, wrapping one hand around the handle. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'm likely to be with you driving." 

"Live a little, Jen," he remarked, starting the car. "We'll probably have to stop for gas about halfway." She nodded, setting up the navigation system and finding a CD holder in the center console. 

"You put CDs in?"

"Nah must have been Abby or Tony." 

"Well, turn the volume down if its Abby; we could be in trouble." She pushed the CD in and hit play, looking up at Gibbs as the music came over the speakers. "Elvis?"

"There's nothing wrong with Elvis," Gibbs defended at Jenny's look of amusement. "Anyway, turn down the volume, time for Tony's wake up call." Jenny turned it down as Gibbs put his phone on speaker and hit send. It was a direct feed into the communication link in Abby's lab that would reach anyone on the team. "DINOZZO!'

"Boss?" came the sleepy response.

"Rise and shine, Tony!"

"Boss to early."

"DiNozzo!"

"Yea, okay, Ziva wake up," Tony hissed. 

"You wanna be shot, Tony?" Jenny inquired.

"Huh?"

"Ziva doesn't like being woken up." 

"Yea, I can see that," came Tony's nervous response.

"Ziva," Jenny chided gently, hearing her friend's curses. 

"Good morning, Director, Gibbs."

"Ziva, how's the surveillance coming?"

"Abby tapped into the security cameras so we can watch from here. If anyone pops on the background check, Tony and I can be there by helicopter, and McGee will be there as a waiter."

"Oh yea Boss, Probie looks good in his waiter outfit."

"Ziva slap him," Gibbs sighed.

"Thank you, Boss," came McGee's voice. 

"Gibbs!" Came Abby's whine.

"You got something?"

"Nothing major yet, but Ducky said that we could be looking at either a small guy or a woman if that helps?"

"Yea, it helps, we'll go quiet till we get there, check-in as we can," Jenny said.

"The Director's going to have a GPS tracking device on her if for whatever reason it goes dark, you respond, got it?" Gibbs ordered.

"Yes, Boss," Tony agreed. There was silence, and Jenny looked over at him.

"Tracking device?"

"Your bracelet, do not take it off." 

"You were planning on telling me this?" She inquired.

"I just did," he reminded. She sighed in irritation. "It's a safety precaution."

"Fine," her response was cold, and Gibbs knew she was not happy with not being told ahead of time. 

"There's a panic button to," he began. "I'll get it when we get out." She said nothing but turned to look back at the scenery. 

Forty minutes later, they pulled into the gas station, and she went into the store to grab some water bottles and something to do in the car. The silence was getting to her. She grabbed the latest  _ Cosmopolitan,  _ typically she wouldn't even take a second look at it, but the bold cover questions were enough that she figured it would be excellent payback for not telling her about the tracker. When she came out, she found he'd moved the car over to the side lot and was walking Duke. She leaned against the back bumper, watching him over the edge of her magazine, glancing back down as he came over. She could tell the moment he noticed what she was reading. 

"Interesting choice of reading material," Gibbs commented.

"You never know what you can learn."

"Aren't you one for practicing what you've learned?"

"Who says I won't be?" Jenny inquired, not even looking up from the magazine. He didn't rise to that one, fully aware that it was an opening for a fight. Instead, he let Duke sit on their feet while he rummaged through his bag, grabbing something. He opened the box he had and stared at it for a moment. 

"Turn around," he told her. She looked up from her magazine. 

"What?"

"Turn around," he repeated, making the spin motion with his finger. She eyed him carefully but did as she was told, her breathing stop as she felt him step closer behind her. He moved her hair to the side and slipped something around her neck. She felt his fingers graze her neck as he fastened the necklace in place. She looked down and found a heart-shaped locket around her neck, settling neatly on her chest. 

"What's this?"

"It's the panic button," he explained, stepping back quickly. "If the clasp is broken, it sounds an alarm, and the locket is just a façade, the diamond pressed in as a panic button. Don't take it off." She fiddled with it slightly, getting used to its faint weight and trying to get her heart back to a normal pace. 

"Thank you." He nodded and ordered Duke back in the car, Jenny climbing in as well. The ride was silent as Jenny flipped through the magazine, smirking as she reached sixty-seven tips.  _ Hm…done, done, done…haven’t done… _ She smirked slightly, wondering what would happen if she cut this little article out, circled it, and handed it to a certain person. 

"What's so amusing?" She looked up in surprise to find him glancing at her every so often as he navigated the roads.

"Nothing," she replied a little too quickly. Gibbs let it go, and she let out the breath she'd been holding, she knew he'd let her off easily; no doubt she would get the ninth degree later. An hour later, they were pulling into this ski lodge. The temperature had dropped considerably, and the faint snow was falling, giving it a soft appearance, one that screamed romantic getaway. 


	6. Arriving at the Retreat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in RL I happen to be a marine scientist and a teacher, so all my jokes are bad. Sorry in advance.

"Looks nice," Gibbs commented. Jenny nodded, taking in the rustic looking lodge with the mountain in the background.

"Lots of places to walk to," she pointed out the little forest glade in the distance. "Duke will love it." He pulled into the valet portion and was greeted with McGee dressed in a bellboy outfit. Jenny smirked before she got out of the car,  _ poor McGee. _

"Why don't you check in dear," Gibbs said to her. She nodded, smiling sweetly to McGee before going into the lodge. 

"Jenny, darling!" Jenny turned to spot Christine Colmen coming straight up to her. 

"Hello."

"I'm so glad you arrived, a few of the couples had to cancel, they were afraid the weather would be to difficult to drive in."

"Oh, it was a pleasant drive," Jenny said.

"And where is your husband?"

"Ah, getting the bags, and Duke, our dog." 

"Wonderful, this is Arielle and Derek, one of the couples joining us. They have their dog, Max, with them."

"So nice to meet you," Jenny greeted the couple. "Jenny Tibbs." 

"Ah, yes, the scientist."

"Yes," Jenny answered hesitantly.  _ Jethro, where the hell are you? _ "Well, I should check-in and…"

"Oh dear, that's all been taken care of," Christine assured, glancing around, spotting McGee in his bellboy uniform. Jenny had no doubt he been sent by Gibbs to make sure she was all right. "You there, Timothy, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am, how can I help?"

"She's in suite 1408, please help her with her luggage."

"Of course, ma'am." Jenny nodded, leading him back outside. She spotted Gibbs standing by the car with Duke, making it look like he was busy on the phone. Jenny took the phone from him.

"He'll call you back."

"But, Director…" Jenny hit end, hanging up on Tony. 

"Jen…"

"Jethro, we're in Suite 1408, this young man will be bringing the bags up, I thought we could bring Duke and get him settled and then go down. Dr. Colmen is here already," Jenny informed. 

"Of course," Gibbs glanced over at McGee, who nodded fractionally and got the bags from the car. He then led them to up toward the suite, Gibbs keeping Duke on a tight leash. The suite was large, with a separate bedroom, bathroom, and seating area. McGee brought the bags into the room, scanning the room as he went. He came back out, giving a brief nod. 

"Everything's clear."

"Thank you, McGee," Jenny said, turning to go into the bedroom, taking Duke with her. Gibbs walked him to the door. 

"She doesn't leave your sight tonight, got it?" Gibbs ordered.

"Yes, Boss."

"Good, and McGee…"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Tell DiNozzo; he has till we get back to get rid of the betting or else." McGee gulped.

"I'll get on that, Boss." Gibbs closed the door as McGee left, just as Jenny was returning to the room. 

"Nice place."

"The rooms will help, Duke?" 

"He's settled." 

"Shall we?" He gestured toward the door. 

"Room key?"

"Have it." She nodded, and they left the room, leaving Duke behind to guard it. They wandered down toward the central area, where Jenny had found Christine earlier. Just as they were about to enter the area, Gibbs felt Jenny lace her arm through his. It was a casual touch, one they had used in the past, and he sucked in the deep breath but didn't do anything. He was supposed to be married to her; linked arms was a common occurrence. If anything, he tightened his arm closer to his body, holding hers there. She didn't react one way or another, so he assumed it was okay. They wandered into the area, and Christine again came right up to them, Jenny immediately noticed the woman's flash of irritation as she saw their linked arms. 

"Jenny, so glad to see you found your husband."

"Yes, it was a long drive; he needed to rest a minute."

"Wouldn't miss this for the world, would we, dear?" Jethro added, feeling Jenny jab him with her elbow. 

"Of course not."

"Well, Jenny has already met one couple, so come and get introduced," Christine said, trying to get Jethro to follow her. He did, but only when he was sure Jenny was staying at his side. "Arielle, this is Jethro, Jenny's husband."

"Nice to meet you," Arielle greeted. "My husband, Derek."

"How do you do?"

"Nice to meet you both," Jethro replied.

"And where is your dog, Jenny?" Arielle questioned. "I wanted him to meet my Max." She held up the tiny dog carrier where a Chihuahua peaked its head out. Jenny looked at it for a minute _ , is that a dog or a rat? _

"Duke is a German Shepard. We'll probably bring him out tomorrow. He's resting."

"Oh, a big dog," Derek commented, sounding more interested than his wife. 

"Yes, what a lovely specimen they are," Arielle remarked. "Derek."

"Coming, dear." The couple left, and Jenny glanced over at Jethro, who was holding back laughter.

"Jethro?"

"I was expecting a sheepdog," he said. "Not a rat." 

"Jethro," she scolded in between her quiet laughter. She cleared her throat and wiped the smirk off her face as another man came over. Jenny was fully aware of the fact that Jethro had tightened his hold on her a fraction. 

"Hello, I'm Russ, Christine was just mentioning that you were the newest couple."

"Yes, I'm Jethro; this is my wife, Jenny."

"Pleased to meet." 

"You too," Jenny returned hesitantly. She did not like this guy. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want to spend another second with him. She watched Gibbs out of her peripherally vision, but he showed no outward signs of unease and was talking up a storm about military techniques. She placed her free hand over the arm that was holding hers, shifting her hand slightly to get his attention. He noticed but didn't skip a beat in the conversation instead, glancing over at her as if to gauge her interest. He could see the hidden worry in her eyes and knew she wanted out of the situation. 

"Well, we should probably mingle," Gibbs suggested. "I think my wife's eyes are glazing over. Weapons training is not appealing to her."

"Of course," Russ responded, earning a promise to have a drink with him later. Gibbs steered Jenny away. She relaxed the second they moved, and he was about to ask her what was wrong when a beautiful brunette walked straight up to them. 

"Hello, I just saw you talking to Russ, I'm his wife, Lynna."

"Hello," Jenny greeted.

"You must be Jenny and Jethro. Christine was just telling me about you." 

"Oh yes, that's us," Jethro answered. 

"Jenny, I would love to talk about your research sometime during this vacation."

"Of course," Jenny promised. "We were just heading for a drink."

"Ah, excellent, bartender is a good guy." She walked away and over toward her husband. They said nothing as they went to the bar, Jethro ordering them both a glass of bourbon. Jenny sat on the barstool, Jethro standing right in front of her, in a position that would appear like a couple exchanging their secrets.

"So…" Jenny began.

"You don't like Russ."

"No, I don't, and I can't explain it either," She informed. 

"You don't have to; it's your instinct, I don't like him either." 

"You don't like him, because he spent more time staring at me, than you."

"That too," he agreed. "His wife was…"

"Aggressive."

"Yea, think it was a warning?" She shrugged, not sure what it was, just knowing she did not want to be anywhere near Russ again. "I'll have a drink with him, see what he has to say."

"Ziva's report said that the couples attending were all at the last few retreats, the ones with our dead couples." 

"So we could be looking at any one of them, not just the good doctor." 

"A few couples called up and said they couldn't make it, something about the weather," Jenny informed. 

"You don't believe it?"

"Three couples have been killed; I wouldn't want to be next."

"You think someone knows it has something to do with this?"

"If they do, they aren't going to say anything. We'll keep an eye out for warnings or something." She glanced around the room again, noting the appearance of all the couples. "You know for a woman who takes couples only over forty. We're still easily the oldest ones here."

"I am, I'm not so sure about you."

"You think some of these women are older than I am?" She asked incredulously.

"Easily."

"You're kidding," she inferred.

"No way," he pointed to Arielle. "She's easily older than you."

"How would you know?"

"Plastic surgery." Jenny looked at the woman again. 

"Well, I don't suppose those could be real."

"But this could work in our favor."

"Oh?"

"Yep, think you can still put your hair up?" She fingered the edges.

"I could try."

"Good." He said nothing more watching the room, sipping his bourbon in concentration. She had no idea what the request was about, but she supposed she could try and twist up her hair. It would take some work, but she could probably handle it. She watched two more couples come in and estimated that there were five couples, Christine, and her assistant. She noticed McGee lingering on the edges of the room and raised an eyebrow. Whichever way he moved, she knew she was in his line of sight. She glanced over at Jethro, who didn't appear to notice, but she was reasonably sure he did.  _ Which probably means he told McGee to do it, great. _ Her pondering was interrupted as Christine called attention to herself.

"Hello everyone, I'd like to thank you all for coming, we have some new guests this evening with us, Jethro and Jenny Tibbs from DC," Christine gestured to them, and Jenny smiled sweetly as Jethro stood beside her. "And as always, Serena and Darien are here with us, showing us that it is possible to work through these bumps in the road. Dinner will be in an hour, so I ask you all to go and get ready. We'll be in the main dining room." 

As Jenny watched the successful couple, she could detect something in the way they each looked at Christine, something different in each of their eyes, but it was strong whatever it was. She filed it away for future thought and slid off the barstool, slipping her arm back through Jethro's and letting him lead her back to their suite. Once they were on the stairs, and away from the fray, he turned to her. 

"So, the successful couple."

"There's something there, between them and Christine."

"Who's sleeping with her?"

"I'm not sure," Jenny replied. "Thoughts?"

"I can't tell, Russ and Lynna though, they didn't seem very happy with Serena and Darien."

"There's one theory kill off the competition to be like the success couple," Jenny concluded.

"We didn't consider that."

"No, we didn't." They reached their room, Jenny going to grab her dress for dinner to change in the bathroom. Before she left, she looked at him a second, "Jethro, there is one other thing?"

"Yea?"

"How can you advise on marriage, if you've never been married yourself?" Jenny inquired. 

"Talking about Christine?"

"She doesn't have a wedding band on, but I feel like we're missing something."

"I'll tell the team to look into it."

"And while you're at it, tell McGee to keep a lower profile." 

Gibbs said nothing, not happy that she'd noticed, but not surprised either. He found a pair of slacks, a dress shirt, and a blazer, forgoing the tie and getting dressed. Gibbs knew he would be done before Jenny as he heard the water turn on. He didn't want to leave her, or rather leave her without Duke at the very least, and so he called desk service asked if they could send up a bellboy, McGee arrived as he was expected to.

"Something I can do, Sir?"

"Would you be able to see that he gets some exercise?"

"Sure thing."

"And McGee, if he picks up anything…"

"Got it, Boss."

"Tell Ziva I want background on the good doctor and anything she can find on the success couple, and the guy Russ and his wife."

"Anything else?"

"Get Tony to answer his phone."

"Right, Boss." McGee left with Duke on the leash. Gibbs sat down and dug out his weapon, checking it, and deciding to wear his backup. Jenny came out moments later, trying to pin back a tiny curl that wouldn't cooperate. He took in her appearance and smiled briefly, of all the women the team could have chosen, they picked her to be his wife… _ there are worse things that could happen. _

"When you're finished," she sighed distractedly.

"Finished with what?" he asked innocently. Jenny glanced up at him, smirking slightly as his eyes still hadn't reached her face. "You want to take a purse or something?"

"Why?" She asked, grabbing a shawl.

"A weapon for starters."

"I have a weapon." He looked her over again. 

"Where?"

"Wouldn't you love to know," Jenny muttered amusedly. She was perfectly aware her muttering wasn't that quiet and judging from his lack of response he had heard clearly. "We going?"

"Yea, we're going," he responded a minute later, following her slowly, trying to keep his eyes above her waist. He hadn't been this distracted by a woman in years at least,  _ well okay not years, probably November when she wore those jeans _ …he cut off his thoughts as they turned the corner, and she slipped her arm through his. They entered the main dining room, and Gibbs was fully aware that everyone present was looking at them. They were not the last couple to arrive, but the room was not empty, either. It was a tiny boost to his ego, just has it had been years ago when whole restaurants would turn to look at her. As he looked at her, he was sure she was completely oblivious to the attention, except for the tiny half-grin she was sporting. 

"I need a drink," she mumbled. Gibbs led her toward the bar, and they got their drinks before sitting at the large round table. There were three couples at every table. Jenny found their card at the table with Arielle and Derek and another couple they had not met. The table beside them had Russ and Lynna, Serena and Darien, and Christine and her assistant. Jethro was every inch the gentleman getting Jenny's chair for her and pushing it in a little. She tried not to act too surprised, just moved as if it were an everyday occurrence. She could tell right away that Arielle's opinion of her had changed. 

"Jenny what skincare do you use, you're positively glowing," Arielle inquired.

"Uh generic."

"And where do they sell that?"

"CVS," Jenny answered, trying not to show amusement at the woman's lack of knowledge. Jenny could see the fake smile, and then the look of disdain flash into the other woman's eyes. She tried to reason it out that perhaps done up, Jenny looked younger, and that bothered her, or maybe it was her husband. Derek was nothing much to look at. He was averagely built, dark black hair speckled with grey and faint brown eyes. Arielle was of fairer, with obviously dyed blonde hair, and faded blue eyes. He did some Naval storage thing; she was a stay-at-home wife, active in the wives club, or something. 

"You know Jenny, I was telling Maria that you should join our book club," Arielle continued. Jenny gathered that the other woman at the table was Maria. 

"You would enjoy it," Maria explained. "Most of our husbands are gone for long periods, it helps pass the months."

"Ah, well, I'm afraid you'd have to count Jenny out," Jethro interrupted. "She's the one that travels."

"Oh," Arielle commented.

"Not as often as I used to," Jenny countered. "But I do go away for a few weeks at a time."

"How do you manage without her?" Steven, Maria's husband, asked Jethro.

"Work," he answered. "All my paperwork is done early."

"It must be nice to get out of the daily grind," Arielle remarked.

"Well, in a way," Jenny responded. "There are certainly reasons to stay home, as well."

"You know, Steve and I had similar problems we were both traveling to much, we started trying to travel together, it works," Maria said gently to Jenny, smiling sweetly to her. Jenny knew it was meant as friendly advice and smiled back, nodding. The talking ceased a moment as the waiters came by to take orders. Jenny had steak, Jethro chicken; both knew they'd switch their vegetables as Jenny despised cooked carrots and loved asparagus. They were turning back to their drinks when they heard the distinct sounds of a quiet argument. 

"I told you not to eat fish," Arielle snapped.

"Arielle, its halibut, they have it all over the world."

"You said…"

"And you said you would let it go once and awhile."

"You don't ever listen anyways." She got up, and Derek sighed, getting up a moment later to go after his wife. Maria and Steve looked stricken and whispered to each other a moment. Jenny turned to Jethro, noticing his inability to hide a smirk.

"I thought we had issues," Jenny teased softly.

"A fight over fish?" he questioned in amazement. 

"She's spoiled. He overindulges her, think it would be inappropriate if I went over and smacked her?"

"Probably, but then again, I suppose it crosses them off the list," he said quietly aware of the ears. 

"We could always ask them to the trout, the whole trout, and nothing but the trout, so help them, Cod." He choked on his bourbon, and she smirked, taking a sip of hers.

"God, Jen, that was awful." 

"And people say scientists don't have a sense of humor," she sighed. They sobered up as Arielle and Derek returned to the table. Silence descended on the table until they heard a clinking of wine glasses. 

"I'd like to make a toast," Christine announced. "To all of our couples here, taking the first step to a happier marriage. And I have some excellent news to share. As a group, we've all shared our difficulties. Just recently, some of those difficulties have resolved. Russ and Lynna are having a child. Congratulations to them!" There was a chorus of good wishes, Jenny sneaking a glance at Jethro, who seemed undisturbed by the news. She excused herself to wash her hands and entered the bathroom, carefully scanning for people. To her surprise she found Maria. 

"Maria?"

"Oh, Jenny," the woman sounded surprised to see anyone else. It didn't take Jenny long to spot the tear tracks.

"Something the matter? Should I get Steve?"

"Oh no, no, don't bother him with this."

"Something I could do?" Jenny tried. She was not one for girl talk, but she hoped that if one person in this group opened up, finding out who the murderer was was going to be easier. 

"No, no. It's just the announcement, rather a sensitive topic."

"Oh, Russ and Lynna."

"Man's a cheating bastard, she's not much better, and yet they get…"

"A child?" Maria nodded through tears. 

"It's mostly why Steve and I are here, we wanted kids and waited too long and then…its just been impossible and every chance has been taken away, the fighting just…he was in a car accident, almost died. That was when I knew we had to fix this, we couldn't just be two people living together anymore, we had to get back our marriage," she explained, before wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't be, I'm a good listener," Jenny smiled.

"And your story?"

"Oh, we…just can't seem to get out of a rough patch," She sighed, fully aware they had not discussed it. "The deaths…we knew the Rothmans, acquaintances really, but after that, we just…didn't want that to happen."

"Death is a powerful motivator."

"It is," Jenny agreed, knowing that it was something that motivated them both and had turned them into the people they were.

"You have children?"

"No, not biologically anyway."

"Want them?"

"It's not a matter of want. I work ridiculous hours. He's not much better." 

"But that's not to say you don't want them."

"Some of the people he works with, they're like our kids." 

"Not the same, though, is it?"

"I suppose not," Jenny conceded, smiling faintly. "Well, Jethro is probably ready to bolt from the table, or he's eaten my steak." She offered the other woman her hand, and she accepted. The two went back in, not drawing attention, except Jethro, who had been getting worried. The two women sat down just as dinner was served, and the couples focused on their food. Jethro took the opportunity to try and get Jenny's attention. 

"Want the asparagus?" he asked, trying to gauge her mood. 

"If you don't."

"You know you can have it," he said. She nodded still, not turning to meet his eye. He put his fork on her plate to try and steal a steak, but she caught him.

"Hey," she protested, turning to glare at him.

"Taste delicious," he commented. Jenny promptly went to steal his asparagus, and he let her. When she turned back to her plate, he tugged on the tiny curl that was falling from her do. She turned to glare at him, but the glare faded as she noticed his worried expression.

"What?"

"Everything alright?"

"It's fine, I'll tell you later," she promised. Gibbs nodded, knowing he would hold her to it. Dinner was kept quiet, and evening activities were forgone as most had driven long distances and were exhausted. They were told an itinerary would be in their rooms when they returned, and so the couples dispersed. Jenny was saying the goodnights and that they had to check on the dog. By the time she finished, Gibbs had gone to the room and fetched Duke for his walk, meeting her at the entrance with her coat. Jenny slipped into it and slipped her arm through his as they led Duke off for the trail. She knew they would walk toward the glades where they were sure to be uninterrupted in talking to the team. They reached the glade just as the cold air was starting to get to her. 

"Cold?"

"No, it's just windy."

"Yea." He let Duke of the leash to do his thing. "So, what happened at dinner?"

"Jethro, can we not talk about this here, just call the team and let's go."

"Already talked to the team. They've got nothing new, but Abby found a lead on the good doctor's husband. She's tracking it now, and thank you so much for setting up a Caff-Pow account for her." Jenny smirked.

"Anytime," she replied. "So, if you already talked to the team, why are we still out here."

"Duke."

"Yeah, okay, but still."

"What happened at dinner?" She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let this go.

"I think we can rule out Maria and Steve unless Lynna and Russ die next."

"Why?"

"They're here because they couldn't have kids."

"What?"

"They wanted kids, waited too long, and now, it's not as easy as it might have been years ago, she was just upset."

"She tell you anything else?"

"Russ and Lynna are both cheaters. Overall she doesn't seem particularly fond of them."

"I've gathered that from a few other people too, but the team hasn't found anything," he replied. He called Duke back to their side, and they went back in. They were just getting to their room when they heard something from down the hall. Jenny glanced at Jethro, and he looked down the hall, judging the distance. He opened the door letting Duke in. "In."

"Jethro!" She protested.

"Now, Jen." She did as she was told and heard the door lock behind her. She pressed her ear to the door listening. 

"Ah, Jethro, right?"

"Yes, Darien, isn't it?"

"Got it in one, your wife's the redhead, yes?"

"Yes, that's Jenny." 

"Lovely woman."

"Thank you."

"Well, I probably shouldn't keep you from her, till tomorrow."

"Good night." Jenny backed away from the door, hearing the retreating footsteps and the key in the lock. Gibbs entered with a puzzled look on his face. 

"I can take care of myself, you know."

"Yea," he responded distractedly. 

"Jethro?"

"Do you have the hotel plans McGee brought up?" He asked, keeping his voice down. She nodded, getting the things out of her case, spreading them out on the table. "See, knew there was something off."

"What?"

"Why would Darien be coming down that hall when his room is on the other side of the lodge?" Jenny stared at the plans. 

"He wouldn't unless he was somewhere else first," Jenny concluded. 

"Exactly, and look who our neighbors are." He pointed at the names.

"Russ and Lynna, Steve and Maria are across from us, and Arielle and Derek, oh, what fun."

"So anyone of the women, or men, I suppose."

"Rule out, Maria."

"Jenny…"

"Trust me, Jethro, she couldn't do it. She loves her husband," Jenny defended and he sighed conceding. 

"Why don't we look at this tomorrow?" He suggested not wanting to get into a fight. She nodded going to get ready for bed. As she finished up in the bedroom he read the itinerary. "Spouse games, we have a session, and then free time till dinner. After dinner, it's a group session. Group session?"

"All the couples talking together."

"Oh goody," he mumbled. "Says to bring a photo album."

"It's next to my laptop bag," she called back. "Jethro, you mind if I take a bath? Sitting in a car is not helping my back."

"Suit yourself," he replied. Gibbs heard the water running and the door lock shut. He was just moving to familiarize himself with the album when he spotted the Cosmo magazine sitting innocently in the outside pocket of her purse. He glanced toward the door and figured he had a good a half hour to get through it.  _ I can't believe I'm doing this; _ he slapped the back of his head and opened the magazine.  _ 67 New Blow-His-Mind Moves, _ he read,  _ this has potential. _ And as he read it he noticed the handwritten notes beside each number.  _ Done, Done, Done, Done, haven't done, not flexible enough, done, done, done, not done, should try. _ The list went on and on as he read, as he reached each done item, he thought back briefly over their relationship to see if he'd been the lucky recipient. He was happy to know that for all of them he had. He read through the other earmarked pages, spending a few extra minutes looking at the tips for him section.  _ Ditch the generic compliment, I can do that,  _ he thought, momentarily stopping to check and make sure she was still in the bath. Gibbs bypassed the fight section because to come out of a fight in love, you had to be in a relationship and he didn't have any of those currently, at least in his real life, _ minus Jenny _ , a little voice tacked on. He ignored that picking up the sounds of her getting out of the bath and the water draining. 

He quickly moved off the bed, putting the magazine back where he found it and then going back into the main room to give her space. He ignored the flare of jealousy at the dog who lay on the floor next to the bed, in full view of the bathroom. He went and flopped down on the couch turning the TV on flipping through channels looking for something that didn't require much thought or perhaps that did, and would distract him from the memories he had recalled. He supposed it wouldn't help that he'd be sleeping next to her. She came out of the bedroom, running a hand through her wet locks and he used all his self-control to focus on the TV and not her. 

"You going to bed or staying up?" Jenny inquired.

"What are you doing?"

"I should do work," she sighed glancing over at her laptop.

"You're on vacation Jenny, no work allowed," he reminded, in a slightly whiny voice. She nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I'm going to enjoy that fact that is only ten-thirty, and I get to sleep, night." 

"Night Jen," he called after her retreating form. He sighed disappointed in himself, _when she walks away, that's when you're supposed to go catch her,_ he repeated to himself. It had been sort of something they always had done, if she'd walked away to go sleep by herself, he always got up and caught her, making sure she didn't sleep alone. _Coward,_ he scolded lightly before getting up and trudging to the bedroom. He glanced at Jenny to find her already sound asleep, a content smile on her face. Gibbs slid into the bed on his side looked down at her and smiled to himself. _Why exactly was I angry with DiNozzo for picking her?_ _Should thank him_ , he thought amused as he fell into a peaceful dream world. In his dream, he caught her, and held her, and never let her go. 


	7. Good night kiss

The following morning, they woke up closer than they had expected to, but naturally, nothing was said. Gibbs took a cold shower to wake himself up and got ready quickly. Jenny spent a few minutes more in a warm shower trying to wash away memories that kept filtering in the through the cracks in the locked door. They calmly took Duke out, looking every inch the couple they were pretending to be. He called the team while she played with Duke, switching only so she could talk to Abby and Ziva and make sure her agency and Cynthia were alright. Satisfied with the phone call but not happy with the team's lack of progress, they strolled back toward the lodge, taking Duke back to the room and then joining the other couples in the solarium. Christine was sitting with some of the other couples and greeting them, offering them coffee, which they accepted gratefully. Jenny knew it wasn't precisely the brew Jethro would prefer, but he didn't complain. As the other couples settled in, Jenny and Jethro found a small couch to sit together on, which was also a little back from the circle so they could observe everyone's interactions.

"Well, good morning, everyone, our first spouse game is going to be done as always in pairs. This one, each individual, will earn points based on how well they know their partner, and each couple will get a designated number of points based on how many each individual has at the beginning. So the way this works, you are asked a question about your spouse, you must answer, and they get to tell you whether they are right or not. Obviously, to keep this fair, we're going to ask you to write down your answers to the question so we can see what you said and what your spouse thinks." It was a quiet few minutes as they each filled out the cards and then passed them back in. "I will be the moderator and randomly draw the card. First question, Jenny, what is your husband's choice of everyday drink?"

"Coffee," Jenny replied without batting an eye. 

"That is correct." They listened as a few other couples went Russ and Lynna not knowing necessary information about each other, and Steve and Maria scarily having the same answers. The questions finally came back around to Jethro. "Jethro, your wife's favorite book?"

"Book?"

"Yes."

"It was about rabbits, Watership Down," Jethro answered, meeting Jenny's surprised look. 

"That's correct." The questioning session continued for another hour or so, Jenny and Jethro escaping with only five total questions and all correct answers. Fortunately, the hour quickly came to a close, and Christine let the group go, before turning back to Jenny and Jethro. "We usually do the sessions in the closed sitting room, that alright with you two?"

"Fine," Jenny agreed quickly, hoping this would be as relatively easy as the first session. They moved to the new room, Jethro sitting down next to Jenny, Christine sitting across from them. 

"Now, last time Jethro, I told you to take your wife to dinner."

"We went to a fish place in the market area."

"And how did that go?"

"Went fine," Jenny answered. "We had some car trouble, but otherwise it was a nice change of pace."

"Good, that's what I like to hear. Now I also asked you to share your questionnaires, did you?"

"Yea, we read them," Jethro responded quickly. 

"And discussed them?"

"Not thoroughly," Jenny replied. "We…were a little busy with the packing and stuff."

"Well, I want you to talk about it tonight, or perhaps go and do something fun afterward and talk about it." The two nodded fully aware that that was one thing they would most certainly not be doing. "Now, I want to ask you about the more personal aspects of your marriage." 

Christine watched as Jenny took a deep breath, and Jethro's eyes moved over the room. They seemed bothered by this conversation, but Christine hoped it hadn't meant they'd forgone this part of their relationship.

"Is this aspect of your relationship suffering?" She inquired.

"I would think not," Jethro answered. 

"Jenny, do you agree?"

"Same as it always was," she agreed, careful to look straight across the room to the far wall. 

"Jenny, what's the most erotic thing your husband's ever done?" Christine inquired in a conversational tone. Jenny's eyes widened to saucer size. 

"Ah…it involved ice cubes." She could feel her face turning several shades of red and prayed to God that they'd remembered to shut off their communication devices before coming in here and that McGee had not wired the room.

"And Jethro?"

"Uh…well, I was on the phone, and she came in, and I don't remember much of the phone call afterward." For a second, Jenny looked at him, remembering the time he was talking about but sure the memory was familiar another way. 

"Do you generally stay in one position, or have you tried sharing?"

"We share," came the rather fond answer. Her eyes bore holes into his head, trying to figure out where the ease in this was coming from. 

"Have any tricks?" At the word, it clicked in Jenny's brain, and she drew the line between the scattered dotes.  _ He read my magazine, shit. _ _ Well, Jenny, it was nice while it lasted. _

"We're creative," Gibbs informed. Oh, she'd slap that smirk off his face, if she could. 

"Jenny?"

"Yes?" she questioned.

"What do you think your husband's favorite thing to do after sex is?" Jenny smirked slightly.

"Cuddle and drink bourbon," she responded, meeting his eyes as they widened for a second. "He's very passionate about his bourbon," she continued keeping eye contact, almost positive that he thought exactly what she had been. 

"And Jethro?"

"Yeah?" He responded, his attention being torn away from his fond memory.

"What's your wife's favorite thing to do after sex?"

"She's affectionate, cuddle," he replied. Christine seemed to take note of this and Jenny watched her closely, she told herself it had nothing to do with the fact that the woman was focusing most her observation on Jethro. 

"Have you ever had sex at either of your workplaces?" Both of them looked surprised by the question.

"Well…no," Jenny answered, trying to rack her brain. 

"Yea, I'd have to go with no on that too."

"Ever wanted to?" Christine pushed. Jenny simply laughed. 

"Oh, sure, who hasn't," Gibbs remarked, thinking about a conference table in her office. 

"Jethro, do you always kiss your wife when you want to?"

"Ah…sure," he responded, confused by the question.

"Has there been a time when you wanted to kiss her but didn't?"

"I'm sure there was," he replied, still trying to think it through. 

"Any, in particular, you remember?" 

"Ah, well about a year ago, I guess," he began, thinking about an argument over the rules and her fingers on his hips. 

"A year?" Jenny questioned, Christine, looked just as curious.

"It was a rather memorable argument, something about a margarita safari," he continued. "Anyway, she pushed me up against this large window." He glanced over at her to find Jenny with the I-Knew-It look on her face. 

"That wouldn't have been in your best interest," Jenny answered. "For multiple reasons."

"One being?" Christine dug.

"I was about two steps from killing him, and I was at work," Jenny responded, leaving the most obvious, he was dating another woman, out of it. 

"Has there been any time when you wanted to kiss him but didn't?"

"None that immediately come to mind."

"You sure?"

"It's only fair, Jen," Jethro taunted. She looked at him in surprise. 

"When we were watching that kid for Tony," she informed. He looked at her for a second.

"Really?" She rolled her eyes; it wasn't like she'd been subtle; she'd all but asked him to stay.  _ Idiot _ , her inner voice chimed in. 

"Well, I think you two will have lots to talk about. I want you to try setting aside time for personal things in your daily lives. It will help you reconnect," Christine advised. The two nodded, hoping this meant they were free. "Now, just like before, I'd like to do five minutes alone with each of you, so Jethro, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all." He left, closing the door behind him. 

"Now, what was the little eye-roll about?" Christine questioned.

"Oh, he can just be…oblivious sometimes."

"Do you usually start your intimate time?"

"It's fifty, fifty."

"Did it have to do with the child you were watching?"

"In part," Jenny answered, not sure she could say too much without giving anything away.

"Do you want biological children, Jenny?"

"I'm not going to be unhappy if I don't have them. They'd be the icing on the cake, but as long as Jethro is there, I'm happy," she replied honestly, surprising herself for a moment. Jenny got up, sensing there were no more questions.

"Jenny?"

"Yes?"

"Would it be difficult for you to seduce your husband?" Jenny thought about it for a moment. 

"No, it wouldn't."  _ But it wouldn't be the same. _ She left the room, leaving the door open, nodding to Jethro as he entered. 

"Jethro, do sit." He did. "Would you consider you and your wife to be open people?"

"Not really, we like to keep our private life private."

"So, are you uncomfortable showing her affection outside of the home setting?" 

"I wouldn't say that we just don't broadcast it."

"I see," Christine commented idly. "Is your wife a frigid woman, Jethro?"

"Anything but," he assured with a brief smirk. Sure she may have earned the Ice Queen nickname, but he was fully aware of how wrong that was. Gibbs got up, hoping it was the end of the questions when she called to him. "Yes?"

"Would it be difficult to seduce your wife?"  _ Difficult? No, but probably suicidal,  _ he thought briefly. 

"No, it wouldn't be." 

"You should think about that," Christine called after him. Jethro kept walking and found Jenny, waiting for him outside the door. They wandered back to their room, getting Duke before deciding to go on a long walk toward town. As soon as they were to the road, they knew they were safe to talk. That's not to say that either knew what to talk about. 

"So…" Jenny began searching for some topic they could converse on.

"Yea…" he faded off just as quickly as she did. They each focused on the road beneath their feet. 

"What happened, Jethro?" 

"Haven't we had this…"

"Not that, what happened to us, we used to be able to talk to each other, what happened to that?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug of his shoulder.

"You don't ask my opinion anymore."

"You run operations behind my back, with my agents!" 

"Once Jethro, one single time, and yes, I wish it hadn't happened that way, but it did. I have to live with it." 

"If you weren't so damn…"

"What? Revengeful? Obsessed?" 

"Difficult."

"Me? Look whose talking."

"I'm easy to understand," he commented, she snorted.

"You Leroy Jethro Gibbs are about as easy to understand as… string theory."

"What's string theory?"

"Exactly!"

"You were the one who…"

"Oh, don't even go there. I had to do what was best for me."

"And you always do, so how do I know I'm best for you."

"You think it was easy just to walk away?"

"You certainly…"

"It wasn't some decision I made at the drop of a hat."

"You could have told me."

"I tried, you wouldn't listen," she shot back. 

"I heard you when you said no off the job."

"Can you imagine what would have happened if I hadn't said that?"

"Well…"  _ Oh yes, …we would have gone home. _

"You wouldn't have gotten Ziva to kill Ari."

"I wouldn't have gotten to kill Ari," he corrected. 

"Are we still going by that?" She inquired. He looked surprised she even knew. "Fine, you wouldn't have gotten to kill Ari."

"Yea…but…"

"But what?"

"What about after your kidnapping?" Her eyes followed Duke's movement through the small drift of snow.

"What about it?"

"Why not then?" She turned away. "Jen?"

"What?"

"Why not then?" Jenny said nothing. It dawned on him what came next in their timeline, and he studied her for a second. "I don't remember everything before the explosion, do I?"

"No, you don't."

"So, fill me in."

"Things were changing," she said gently. "They just hadn't gotten changed completely and then the explosion and, you left." 

"You never said anything before."

"I was giving you the out. I wasn't even sure you remembered or not."

"You could have said something."

"What exactly was there to say?" She questioned. "You never told me about them, and it hurt, but at the same time, I couldn't say anything because I hadn't mentioned my father." 

"What about in your entryway a couple of months ago?"

"You said no," she pointed out. "I made a choice, can't unmake it."

"So, someone new?" He inquired positive he already hated him.

"There isn't anyone. The agency keeps me busy enough as it is." 

"So if when I said no, I meant not yet, would that change anything?" She looked over at him for a second watched him watch Duke run around. 

"It would depend."

"On?"

"Well, for starters, you would have to get rid of Rule 12 and reinstate the one you taught me."

"Thought you might know about that switch."

"Word travels fast."

"And? What else?"

"No more secrets, you have to let me in a little bit."

"What about you?"

"If I'm asking it of you, only fair I do it myself," Jenny said with a shrug of her shoulders. Gibbs nodded his understanding. They walked silently for a few minutes, each digesting the minute shift in their relationship. They reached the town, shifting to a more comfortable silence, wandering through the shops until Gibbs noticed the sky darkening. He'd been looking in the sports shop hoping maybe to convince Jenny to go skiing later when he saw the sun fading, deciding it might be a good idea to walk back he went to look for Jenny who had wandered off. He spotted Duke sitting patiently outside an art shop, and the dog barked once to get his attention.

"Hey Duke, where'd she go?" Gibbs asked the dog. Duke just starred at him, eager for an ear scratch, which Gibbs willingly gave. He entered the art shop and found Jenny standing in the back, browsing some photos. "Jen."

"Oh, there you are. I was about to look for you," she commented, not even looking up from the paintings.

"We should head back, it's getting dark, and cold," he informed. 

"Thought you were a Marine," she teased.

"I am," he protested.

"Then don't complain about the cold." She, on the other promptly issued a low curse as they stepped back outside.

"Look who's complaining now," Gibbs retorted. Jenny handed him the leash for Duke and turned to walk back towards the inn. He caught her quickly enough, taking her arm and looping it through his. They walked back that way, and reached the inn, just as the last bit of sunshine left the sky. They changed quickly for dinner and sat down, hoping the other couples wouldn't be as irritating. 

Dinner was again loud, full of sarcastic little fights, and Jenny and exchanged looks with Gibbs, both wondering how some of these people even managed to get married, let alone stay that way. Jenny also kept her focus on Russ and Christine, trying to figure out what warning bells were going off, and Gibbs focused on the 'success' couple of Serena and Darien. They were both aware that once the team got back to them on the background checks, they would have a better idea, but observation certainly didn't hurt. 

After dinner was a group session to which Christine, Serena, and Darien, did most of the talking. Gibbs was leaning on the arm of the chair that Jenny was sitting on, both trying to look interested and knowing they were anything but. When they finally managed to escape, they went for a last walk with Duke and checked in with McGee. 

"McGee, I don't want to hear nothing, this time," Gibbs warned as they entered the room, McGee placing fresh towels down. 

"Well Boss we don't have nothing, Abby found out that Russ does have a small record, mainly Real Estate fraud, but the military seemed to have straightened him out and his wife Lynna, she's the head of the Officer's wives club on the base they live on."

"Yea, we could have told you that."

"Well, they both have a lot more money than you might expect on a military salary, but…"

"That hardly means anything," Jenny commented idly. "Some people come from wealthy families."

"That's the thing. There is no family. We haven't found a single thing that suggests there were parents or something," McGee informed. "Tony did find something on your marriage counselor."

"Sometime tonight, McGee," Gibbs snapped.

"Well she was married, the husband was in the military, but we have no idea where he is."

"His Commanders don't know?"

"Well technically, he was listed as missing in action, but then the records just sort of disappeared, like someone tried to erase them."

"Well, find him, McGee."

"On it, Boss," he answered. "Oh, and Abby's working on trying to figure out how the attacker got into the houses." Gibbs nodded and made sure McGee was prepped for the night before turning back to Jenny. 

"Well, Russ is looking good for this," Jenny remarked. "Especially if one of the other couples recognized him from his Real Estate days." 

"Three couples seem excessive, though."

"True and too much coincidence…"

"I don't…"

"Believe in coincidences, I know Jethro," Jenny finished for him. "There has to be another motive for this. Maybe Russ is the one having affairs? Maria said he was a cheat."

"With three different women?" Jethro questioned. 

"Well, there's one way to test it…"

"No," Gibbs cut her off. "Not happening. Again I might add." He turned a full Gibbs' glare on her, and she just smirked in return. 

"Wasn't like I enjoyed it much either," she mumbled. There was no need to share that thought, though. "I still think Christine is involved somehow," she spoke up.

"Never trust a shrink."

"She's a marriage counselor not a shrink and…" she was cut off by a sharp thud to the wall. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh-uh." It went again, and this time they both looked around, till the sound became continuous. Jenny got up from her spot on the couch and wandered toward where the sound was loudest, trying to figure out what was causing it. She wandered over to the far wall of the living area, which she knew connected to another room on the other side. She froze as the sound became more and more obvious. 

"Are they…"

"If you have to ask…" Gibbs trailed off, grinning cockily at her. The sounds suddenly stopped, and Jenny looked back over at him again. He glanced at his watch and sighed. It was Jenny's turn to smirk.

"Talk about a reputation for the male specimen," she mocked. "That wasn't even three minutes." She walked past him toward the bedroom.

"You never know, maybe she can't pace herself."

"Positano Jethro," she called back over her shoulder, shutting the door. 

"Serbia, ring a bell to you?" She stuck her head back out the door.

"That was a week after I took a bullet and had said wound infected!" He met her eyes, noticing the fire lurking in their green depths and simply smirked. 

"Uh-huh." She stuck her head back inside and left the door slightly ajar. 

"You coming to bed anytime soon?" She inquired; he picked up the words and the tone.  _ Almost an invitation. _

"That an offer Jen?"

"Offer of what? I could lock the door, and you could sleep on the couch, or you could come lie down in the soft bed where there is plenty of room for you, me, and Duke." He came into the room to find her decked out in the sweats and the tank top she'd been wearing to bed for the last few nights. She was saying good night to Duke, who was loyally lying on her side of the bed, ready at any moment to jump and defend her. He changed; he lay down on his side, watching her curl up onto her side and trying to find a comfortable position. 

"So, kiss goodnight?" She looked up at him, with what he thought was surprise. 

"Never kissed someone before they took me out to dinner, just a rule."

"Ah, but see, I have taken you out to dinner multiple times." 

"Excellent point." She leaned over slightly and kissed his cheek. "Good night Jethro." She rolled on to her other side and shut her eyes. Gibbs, on the other hand, stared at her back in shock. It was inconceivable that a butterfly kiss to the cheek could raise these emotions in him. He almost tried to roll her back over, but her breath evening out told him she was already asleep, and despite how she may react to be kissed awake, he wasn't sure it was a good idea to try it now.  _ I'm going to get you back for that, Jen. _


	8. Ski Trip

When Jenny's brain filtered back into the real world, and away from her rose-colored dreams, she was aware of two things. Her back was very, very warm, and she was on the very edge of the bed. She tried to scoot back so she wouldn't fall but felt that her path was blocked, her legs trapped. She also became aware of the strong arm holding her in place, ensuring she wouldn't fall and that she wouldn't be able to slip out either. Jenny was not used to sleeping in the same bed as another, and it had been a long time since she'd allowed someone to hold her in her sleep. She fiercely clung to her independence, and she would always sleep on her side, with the one notable exception of having enjoyed being held by one person. As she finally decided to open her eyes, they revealed faint sunlight filtering through the curtains, Duke lying peacefully alongside the bed, and a hand she recognized all too well, resting protectively above her abdomen. She lifted her head slightly to glance behind her and found Jethro lying with his head on her pillow, close to hers, his body curled around hers. 

She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed that his soft, warm breath tickled her neck with every exhale, but she was aware of it now. Highly aware of it, and the fact that he was that close did not do much for her self-control. It was all the more tempting to roll into him and kiss him good morning. Unfortunately, a good morning kiss did not come, the shrill ring of the phone broke the stillness in the room, and she dropped her head back to the pillow groaning. Jenny tried to get up, but it only caused Gibbs to tighten his grip on her. 

"Jethro," she hissed.

"Hm mmm…." He mumbled.

"Jethro you have to let go, I have to answer the phone," she tried again. Instead of loosening the grip, he did not relent. "Jethro…"

"Don't wanna go," came the murmuring.

"Jethro, I'm just going to answer the phone." 

"Not letting go," his voice was insistent. Jenny glanced over her shoulder again and found him still asleep. She knew he did talk in his sleep, but mostly it was incoherent muttering. She didn't claim to be able to understand his cryptic messages, but for whatever reason, he was hell-bent on not letting her out of his grasp, and until that thought changed, she wouldn't be getting up to answer the phone.

"Jethro, wake up!" She snapped. She heard the change in his breathing. 

"What?" his voice was hoarse with sleep, but he could hear the phone as well. "Who's calling?"

"Well, if you let go, I could go and find out," she remarked. Gibbs noticed where his arm was placed and loosened his grip enough that she could slide out. She did and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Ah Jenny, Christine here, I was wondering if you and Jethro were up to skiing for the day or we could do horseback riding? We're trying to get groups together."

"Um…let me ask, just a second." She went back into the bedroom. "Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"Horseback riding or skiing?"

"For what?"

"Group bonding activities."

"Do you horseback ride?" he asked sleepily.

"Not in many years."

"Well, I know you can ski."

"Skiing it is," she said. "Christine?"

"Yes, dear?"

"We'd love to do the skiing."

"Of course, we'll see you around eleven."

"Thank you." Jenny hung up the phone before picking up her cell phone. "McGee, report," she demanded, listening to Gibbs rustling in the bedroom.

"Nothing new, ma'am," McGee answered quietly.

"There are group bonding activities …who's going skiing?" 

"Let me see," She could hear the shuffling of paper. "So far, you two, Arielle and Derek, Russ and Lynna, Christine and her assistant, and that success couple."

"Steve and Maria?"

"Not feeling well."

"All right, you watch them, I want details and…" she felt the phone being pulled away.

"And tell DiNozzo I want answers now."

"Boss, we made some headway last night," McGee defended. Jenny froze as they heard a knock on the door. 

"And bring that up with room service," Gibbs ordered, nodding for Jenny to get the door. He watched her eye the table beside it, knowing they'd stashed a gun under there for emergencies. Jenny opened the door to find Serena on the other side. 

"Jenny, darling, I didn't wake you did I?" The blonde woman inquired.

"Oh no, not at all, we're both early risers," Jenny answered, confused as to the woman's presence.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright down here, I know how difficult it can be to be around other couples sometimes," Serena commented. Jenny picked up on the insincerity in the tone and wondered precisely the purpose of this visit.

"Everything's fine; it's an interesting experience."

"Yes, I'm sure it is…" the woman paused, her eyes darting just over Jenny's shoulder. "Well, I'll let you get back to your husband." Jenny nodded, closing the door; she locked it and leaned against it. 

"Serena?" Jethro questioned.

"Yes."

"What'd she want?"

"To make sure everything was alright, although I think she would have rather you answered the door," Jenny baited. He smirked it fading when his cell rang.

"DiNozzo?"

"Hey Boss, update time," Tony announced.

"Update time was two hours ago."

"Right you are Boss, McGee said you were sleeping in so I didn't want to…"

"DiNozzo!"

"Well, Ziva said the Director isn't much of a morning person and…" It was Jenny's turn to smirk as she watched Gibbs looked ready to reach through the phone and strangle poor Tony. Another knock on the door had Jenny again, pulling it open and found McGee with breakfast. 

"Morning," she greeted, closing the door swiftly. 

"Uh, Gibbs?" McGee questioned, trying to keep his eyes above the Director's neck. 

"Oh, he's on the phone with Tony," she replied. McGee gulped. "Jethro." Gibbs looked over to find McGee standing there sheepishly. 

"Ziva hit him, and when this is over, you both are stuck on desk duty."

"But Gibbs!" Ziva protested loudly, but Gibbs already had closed the phone and was starring at McGee as if determining how to kill the younger man. 

"Uh Boss, I have the stuff they faxed over and…" McGee's voice was shaky as he quickly recognized the look that came before a hard head slap and proper chewing out. Jenny watched on in tamed amusement. She to date had only been 'Gibbsed' twice, and both occurred before they'd gone undercover. After that, there were other ways for him to display affection.

"Well…" Gibbs held out his hand, and McGee quickly placed the files in it. 

"Found the counselor's husband. Dead, the report indicates he was killed in action, but there's no evidence to support that, and his mistress, Jane, believes he was murdered."

"By?" Jenny inquired. "Christine?"

"She claims a tall, dark-haired man did it." 

"Roughly describes half the population, fantastic," Gibbs muttered. "What else?"

"Well, Abby tracked the couples using the GPS in their car and the phone trans…"

"Today McGee."

"Right, anyway, couples all were home for approximately forty-eight hours before the attack. So if you have been targeted…"

"We won't know," Jenny sighed. "No warnings?"

"Well, that's the thing Ziva figured out, according to her contacts, Russ closely resembles some satanical serial killer who used to work along the French rivers and then dropped off the grid when two of his bury sites were found, a matter of fact she said NCIS…"

"Yea, we know," Gibbs cut McGee off that tangent watching color fade from Jenny's face. "Well, we also figured out that all the locks on the houses were intact. Abby concluded they had to have known their killer."

"Good work McGee," Gibbs praised. 

"Not done, Boss," McGee continued. "Abby found evidence to suggest that Christine and Serena are a bit closer than…"

"What kind of evidence?" Jenny questioned.

"Well, we think the two have an arrangement regarding Darien." Gibbs looked blank for a minute, and Jenny stifled her laughter. _Some things just don't change._

"Threesomes Jethro," she spelled out, noticing both men look a bit red around the edges. "Continue, McGee."

"Well, we think while her husband had Christine, Serena may have had her liaisons," McGee explained. "She and Russ work out at the same gym that two of the dead wives and one of the dead husbands went to." 

"Well…if the other couples found out…" Jenny trailed off.

"Wouldn't explain Darien over here," Gibbs countered

"Unless he knows," Jenny added.

"Uh, we have a theory for that too," McGee began. "Lynna has some interesting relationships of her own, and we found some pretty compromising videos with her and one of the dead husbands."

"Wife finds out…" Jenny trailed off.

"We thought that too, so we checked, the wife, in this case, was the one that was tortured to death, the husband forced to watch," McGee relayed.

"Goes with the not getting what they want theory," Jenny agreed.

"Lynna is not physically strong enough," Gibbs pointed out. 

"Well that's all we've got, Boss, we'll keep digging." 

"Good, in the meantime, see if you can't find out more about these liaisons, and who might be targeted next." McGee nodded but stayed in place, catching Gibbs' eyes. 

"Jen, why don't you get ready for this thing."

"Sure fine," she answered, distracted by some thoughts. Gibbs watched her enter and close the door as soon as the door clicked, Gibbs slapped McGee's head.

"Boss!"

"Ask DiNozzo what that was for. Now, what else is there?"

"It's Russ Boss, stopped me in the hall, asked if I wouldn't mind delivering this to you." He held out a rolled piece of paper. Gibbs scanned the note. 

"Tell him, I accept." McGee nodded, leaving the room. 

"What is it you accept?" Jenny questioned from the doorway.

"That I get to watch you fall all day long."

"Very funny Jethro, amusing really. Now let's have the truth," she demanded. "Or is this no secret thing going to last less than twenty-four hours?"

"No secrets Jen," he replied, sobering up quickly. "Russ wants to have drinks tonight." She handed out her hand for the note. "That's all it says," he defended, handing it over.

"This wasn't written by a man, Jethro," Jenny informed, noticing the softness to the script, the curl at the end of the letter. 

"You know that for sure?"

"Nearly positive, what man do you know that curls his letters and drops stars to dot their I's." 

"We'll just have to see, you ready to go skiing yet?" She nodded, going back to grab her warm jacket and boots. 

"Jethro…"

"Jen?"

"If Russ is the French River Killer…" Jenny trailed off. It was a case she had never forgotten nor had the sight of the burials ever really left her. 

"Then he's good at hiding his identity. I would have recognized him," Gibbs warned. "Get ready to go," he told her, watching her grab her bag. He hoped the day skiing would let her get her ease back and relax, as much as she would undercover anyway.

"At least this won't be like the alps," she sighed, as they went down the central area ten minutes later. 

"Yea, you won't be sick from the heights." 

"I was not sick!" She protested. Jethro said nothing, just guiding her over the group standing ready to go. 

"Ah, there you two are," Christine commented, "We were beginning to fret."

"Someone decided breakfast was a good idea," Jenny responded. Arielle smirked but quickly caught up to Jenny looping an arm with hers, Serena and Lynna following. 

"Jethro, you wouldn't mind if your wife rides with us, would you?" Serena inquired. He glanced at Jenny briefly and saw her subtle nod. He took a deep breath, not at all liking the idea of her being away from him for a car trip. 

"Not at all," Jethro answered. "I'll meet you at the mountain, dear."

"Till then," She responded, smiling to show him she would be fine. How wrong that assurance would be she would not know till another five minutes had gone by, and the car was in motion heading toward the small hills, they called mountains.

"Jenny, dear," Arielle began.

"Yes?" She responded, hiding the cringe at the word dear.

"We were wondering something," the woman continued. Jenny settled back in her seat, curious for a second if her cover had been blown.

"About?" her voice was controlled.

"Your husband over course," Serena piped up. Jenny's eyebrow rose.

"What about him?"

"How is he?" Arielle questioned. Jenny looked on, pretending to be confused and, in reality, stalling. Arielle glanced up from her driver's position.

"He's a gentleman," Jenny responded.

"Not personality-wise," Arielle whined.

"Then, in what way?"

"Physically…is he…" Serena began quietly.

"Is he as good as he looks in bed?" Lynna spit out, starring at the others like they were little middle schoolers blushing about forbidden subjects. Jenny kept her calm and reminded herself that she was in a role, and this role included girl talk, even if it was the one thing she despised more than anything, including other redheads.

"I don't kiss and tell," Jenny tried.

"C'mon, between us girls," Lynna coaxed. Jenny watched the other woman; she hadn't said much besides this and knew if she directed her attention to Lynna, she could maybe discover the motive behind it. She gave a knowing smile, nodding her head slightly.

"Very talented," she finally told them. She was not blind and could sense the shift as their attention focused on every word that fell from her lips. "In every aspect."

"And…size wise?" Serena asked.

"Just right," Jenny smirked. _So never repeating this conversation,_ she thought, taking a deep breath. 

"Could see why you'd want to stay married to him," Lynna remarked. Jenny looked over at her curiously. "So tell me, is makeup sex as good as the regular?"

"Better," Jenny assured, not letting the woman's glances get to her. "And your husbands'?" Silence. "Oh come now, ladies, I shouldn't be the only one to have to talk."

"Well, we were just curious as to the nature of that aspect of your relationship," Serena backpedaled. "I mean, the walls are thin and…"

"And there's never any music or anything…is it because it's only certain times?" Arielle inquired.

"Did he forget his pill?" Lynna translated.

"Jethro need pills? That'll be the day."

"He doesn't need them?" Arielle questioned.

"No," Jenny reassured, her cat-like grin staying firmly in place now. She continued to answer the questions noticing their eagerness and observing Lynna's general feigned disinterest. She didn't attract attention to it, nor did she make up anything to firmly get the woman façade to fall, but she knew, Lynna was hanging on her every word. She was not surprised when they pulled into the parking lot, and Lynna looked him over as he was leaning against the hood of their Escape. 

"How do you not jump him?" Arielle teased lightly. Jenny said nothing but nodded to them and walked straight over to Jethro.

"Have a nice trip?" he asked her noticing her Cheshire cat grin. 

"It was interesting," she replied. 

"Find anything to talk about?" He followed her around the back of the car. She turned to look at him for a second before going back to grabbing her ski gear.

"Oh, only girl stuff."

"Like which box to buy girl stuff?" She glared.

"More like who has the better husband, in certain aspects…" She could hear his quick intake of breath. 

"So who won?" He inquired, trying very hard to hide his smugness. She winked at him and grabbed her stuff, moving back toward the group. He hated it when she did something like that. Something simple that she had more than once associated with some sort of sensual treat. _Damn woman, that's two things to get her back for._ Gibbs knew though he'd have to bid his time. Sneak in when she was least expecting it. So he followed her and played doting husband as they all got on the lifts after gearing up. They skied off, stopping at the top of the hill. 

"Well, this looked smaller from down there," Arielle said hesitantly. Jenny glanced over at her like she had four heads. _It's a hill for crying out loud._

"Makes you wish we were in the Alps again, huh?" Jethro whispered close to Jenny's ears. She glared at him through the goggles protecting her eyes.

"Only because of the large whirl tub that was in the room," she replied, shifting her weight to begin her downward path. "Meet you at the bottom darling," she called over her shoulder before pushing off. He huffed and pushed off trying to catch her, he'd pretend to be annoyed but loved this aspect of their relationship these competitions flowed through them both, forcing them to give each other only their best of everything, including their worst. As he streaked through the air, skis gliding over the icy snow, he spotted her red hair flowing slightly behind her. She wasn't that far ahead of him, and he was pretty sure he could catch her, except that she turned straight down, ignoring her typical swift turns and sped up. She came to a stop at the bottom seconds before he did. She pulled off her goggles, her eyes alive with entertainment.

"Don't even say it," he warned fully aware of what that sparkle meant.

"Getting slow in your old age Jethro?" She questioned, getting ready to head over to the lift for another run. He grabbed her waist, his skis on either side of hers, sliding her closer to him. 

"I don't know, am I?" He inquired. She tilted her head to the side to meet his curious glance. He smiled disarmingly at her and watched her smile in return. She looked in front of her knowing there were eyes focused on them. 

"We have an audience," she commented. Gibbs looked around her, finding the eyes of the other couples and Christine on them. Christine appeared slightly confused, but he wasn't sure. 

"Later than," he said, letting her go and giving her a slight push forward. She moved toward the lift again, following the other couples who had found other exciting things to watch besides them. 

"Jethro," Christine called as they got in line for the lift. He turned to look at her. "Ride up with Danny, won't you," She suggested nodding to her assistant. "Jenny, I've meant to ask you about your skis." Jenny watched Jethro determine whether or not she should be accepting this or not. He nodded slightly. 

"Of course, Danny, ever had a drink of bourbon?" Jethro and the younger man went ahead of Jenny and Christine. Jenny watched the two get on the lift before getting on herself, seated next to Christine. 

"Jenny, is everything alright?" Christine asked as the lift began to move.

"Everything is fine. This is a beautiful area."

"I meant between you and your husband?" Jenny looked over at her.

"It's getting better," she replied honestly. 

"Are you sorting out your problems?"

"Trying to." 

"You wanted to work on your marriage because you were afraid your time might be up soon."

"We both know the future is not guaranteed. We didn't want to spend our lives fighting with one another."

"You do know you may still fight," Christine said.

"Of course we will, it is part of our nature, but bickering and bantering and some fights I can handle. Having the general mistrust and anger present…I think I've handled as many years of that as I can."

"Your husband seems to be a good man."

"He is the very best of men," Jenny answered, looking forward at his form as he slid off the chair and turned back, waiting for her. 

"And he does love you," Christine mentioned. Jenny glanced over at the other woman in surprise.

"Of course he does," she responded, not knowing what else to say. She didn't like the knowing look that crossed the other woman's face. 

"He gave me the same answer you did in our first session, but just like you, he repressed the immediate answer of yes." Jenny looked genuinely confused for a moment, and Christine laughed softly as they began to slide off the chair. "I am a counselor; it's my job to read body language." Nothing more was said as Jenny slid to a stop beside Jethro. 

"You okay?" Jenny nodded quickly, too focused on replaying the conversation. She was about to follow the other couples down the hill when Jethro stopped her holding her in place. "Jen, what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Jenny…" he warned, giving a classic Gibbs' glare.

"We'll talk later, alright?" Jenny promised and did not wait for a response. She took off down the hill. Jethro watched her go before pushing off and chasing after her again. He got to the bottom a minute after she did and found her removing her skis. 

"Done so soon?"

"Arielle took a fall," Jenny informed gesturing to where the others were huddled around a table. "Christine decided it might be time for coffee."

"Come one more run with me?" He asked. She agreed and put her skis back on. They headed over to the lift in silence and waited patiently as their turn came to get on the lift. "Did Christine know?"

"Know what?"

"Our cover, Jenny, have we be compromised?" He questioned worriedly.

"No, nothing like that," she assured, knowing that if it had been the case, he would have found a way to get them out of there. She glanced back down at the base lodge. "If anything, I think we can rule out Christine."

"What?"

"I don't think she did it, Jethro, she genuinely wants to help the couples. Why kill them?"

"Murder doesn't have to make sense Jen, maybe she gets off on it or something." 

"I'm telling you what I think, and if you don't want to take that, then look at the evidence. There's no way she'd be strong enough to subdue the couples by herself. She's too weak to have inflicted that kind of torture."

"So maybe she's just an accomplice, it doesn't make her innocent."

"She's not innocent, I'm fully convinced she's having at least one or two affairs, and the evidence already proved that, but adultery is not a punishable crime, or at least punishable by NCIS. It does not, however, make her a killer." 

"She had motive, Jen." She turned to him as they stopped at the top of the run and pulled off her goggles a second.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you think she killed those couples."

"What?"

"Do it, Jethro." He raised his blue eyes to meet her green ones and proceeded to say the words but found he couldn't. "See, even your infamous gut doesn't buy it." 

"I've been wrong in the past."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs admitting he's wrong, hell has frozen over," she exclaimed.

"You know you're not exactly right all the time either. You've been wrong before."

"But I'm not wrong about this," she stated adamantly.

"If she didn't kill them, who did?"

"Honestly?"

"Something I tend to favor, Jen."

"I'm not sure, but I think it's one of the couples with us today." 

"You think a whole couple did this?"

"I do, its not a one-person job," Jenny rationalized. He thought about it a minute and knew it wouldn't hurt anything if she were right, or if they took that view on the investigation. She's _a damn good agent_ ; he reminded himself, and it was enough to convince him that she'd been taught to follow her instincts. He'd be insane to tell her that was the wrong way to go about it when he so valued the method. 

"Okay, I'll ask Russ about the dead couples tonight, see what he has to say." 

Jenny said nothing but smiled in return. She knew she had won him over. They took off down the hill for their last run, putting away their skis when they came to the bottom. They found the rest of the group settled in the lounge of the base lodge with coffee and some pastries. 

"Ah Jethro, Jenny, we were waiting for you. How does lunch sound?" Christine asked. 

"Sounds lovely, I'm starving," Jenny agreed, happily loosening her ski boots. The group had a quiet lunch in which Jenny observed every person closely, trying to pinpoint the murderer. She wasn't sure they as a couple had been targeted, and if they weren't the ones, she didn't want the pain that came from knowing she had failed to protect someone else. When their day of skiing was concluded after others had fallen, bruising quite nicely, Jenny made sure she was going in the car with Jethro. They could use some time to themselves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Happy Birthday to me...Not what I'd usually post, but I can live.


	9. Jenny goes on offense

"So…" Jethro started as he navigated the streets back towards the lodge. 

"We go to dinner; you go have your drink with Russ, I'll talk with the team," Jenny planned out. 

"Do me a favor."

"Hm?"

"Don't go anywhere without Duke," Gibbs warned. 

"They'd be insane to go after us here." 

"Let's not underestimate them, shall we?" 

"Fine." Dinner was as uneventful as it had been the night before, and they mingled afterward till Jenny noticed Jethro head to the bar. She decided to take Duke outside for a quick walk. After her walk, she decided it wouldn't hurt to go for a swim, and so she did, finding the pool deserted, except for McGee, who came by every ten minutes. The swimming relaxed her, and she got out after a reasonable hour. As she stood to go back to their room, she felt a sudden feeling of dread. She studied her surroundings carefully but found nothing out of place and so brushed it off until it became worse as she climbed the stairs to her room. She recognized the feeling; she'd had the same bad feeling before their op in the Czech Republic, when they'd sent Tony and Ziva undercover, and when she'd been in the White House, the day of the explosion. That alone prompted her not to ignore the feelings; she would go back to her room, grab her gun, and find Jethro. Jenny was just about to place her key in the lock when she heard a noise in the hallway. She glanced down and found McGee.

"Ma'am, I think you may want to come to the bar," he suggested. She watched him confused for a second as to why he wouldn't drop the act but figured it would be safer to stay in the role. 

"Can this not wait five minutes?" Jenny questioned.

"I believe your husband needs assistance." She tried to figure out the underlying message; she knew Jethro would never drink until he was intoxicated if he was still working, so she knew there had to be something else. She nodded and followed McGee down to the bar, where she felt her heart freeze mid-beat. Lynna was sitting a little to close to Jethro for comfort, clearly hanging on his every word. Jethro, in his defense, appeared to be looking for a way out, but he wasn't trying hard enough in Jenny's opinion.  _ I told him a man did not write that note;  _ she thought irritated. She should have known that Lynna would try this, after the questions in the car, Lynna's less than subtle interest; it was all starting to click. Lynna was a beautiful woman, leggy, tall, beautiful hair, well portioned, and did not look a day over thirty-five, which Jenny inferred surgical assistance. Jenny, on the other hand, knew she probably looked her age, a job she spent 24/7 working at, would do that to a woman. It was not inconceivable that a normal man might lose interest, but Jenny knew Gibbs was far from average.  _ Apparently, I haven't been territorial enough;  _ Jenny thought as she spotted a few other women not involved in the retreat looking him over.  _ That can be fixed. _ She rose to her full height, walked casually through the bar, up to where Jethro was sitting. He hadn't noticed her yet, or if he had, he gave no outward appearance. She would use that to her advantage as well. 

"Jethro…" she called gently, tapping his shoulder. 

\--

Gibbs did not like this situation. He had come into the bar expecting to meet Russ but had found Lynna. He briefly wondered where her husband might be but than decided he probably didn't want to know. It hadn't taken him long to piece together that Lynna had sent the note and tricked him, proving Jenny knew what she was talking. He didn't like that either. He was sure he could handle it, but an hour later, Lynna was slowly inching closer, and he was trying to find a way to get out of it. He almost wished he hadn't told McGee to follow Jenny's movement, because then he would have been able to get her. Gibbs had repeatedly told Lynna that he needed to be going, that his wife would wonder, and it became apparent she didn't care. She had her mind set on one thing, and he was determined not to give in to it. 

"Jethro…" the sensual voice and the gentle tap to his shoulder were enough to make him gulp because he knew he would have a lot of explaining to do if she'd jump to conclusions. However, when he turned his head to meet her eyes, noticing the hidden amusement, he determined that she was here to rescue him for a change, although he wasn't sure he would like her methods. "I was waiting…."

"I…uh got held up," Gibbs stuttered. Her voice in that tone should be a criminal offense. It didn't help that he was intimately familiar with that tone and that even if it had been close to nine years since he'd last heard it for real, he heard it in his dreams nightly. He felt her hand trail down his back and tried very hard not to make a sound. 

"Lynna, you don't mind if I steal my husband away."

"We were talking," Lynna countered, looking a bit puzzled. "Didn't Russ tell you?"

"Haven't seen him, I was waiting for Jethro at the pool," she lied effortlessly, not liking the implications. A thousand scenarios had formed in her head, the most obvious being Russ distracting her while Lynna convinced Jethro of things. "You said one drink, Jethro…"

"I know, I know," Gibbs agreed immediately, hoping this was his out, choosing to ponder the fact that Jenny was supposed to be with Russ, later. "Didn't stop you from going for a swim."

"Yes, well that water was cold, I was coming to tell you to skip the pool and come back to the room, I thought we could try out the tub," she told him sweetly making sure Lynna had a full view of her hand tracing his arm. She watched Lynna glare slightly; things were not going to her plan, though she wasn't ready to abort completely.  _ What more do you need a neon flashing light?  _ Jenny was slowly getting more and more irritated, and thus her movements were becoming more and more possessive. 

Gibbs, on the other hand, was convinced the temperature had been turned way up. He was sure she was doing it on purpose, and he was pretty sure the tub invitation was nothing more than a way to get Lynna to leave them, but he could tell it wasn't working. Both women were determined to have their way in this, and he knew what happened when Jenny felt threatened, she went on offense. If the way her hand was tracing his arm was any indication, she was almost ready to go in for the kill. He wasn't sure what the kill would be, she wasn't as easy to read as he let on, but he was pretty sure he was going to be an active participant in the kill shot. Gibbs felt her shift her weight, so she was leaning against him slightly. 

"The tub takes a long while to fill, maybe you should start the water Jenny," Lynna tried, being a little too obvious that she wanted the redhead gone. "I'll send him along when we're done; he was regaling me with tales of his service." 

Gibbs cringed, especially as he felt Jenny apply pressure to his neck and her breath suspiciously close to his ear. 

"He is an excellent storyteller," Jenny agreed, before leaning closer as Lynna formed some kind of retort. "Don't read to much into this," Jenny whispered, before pulling away.

"He is a good storyteller, but I'm sure you've heard them all," Lynna baited. 

"Be careful, or he'll talk your ear off," Jenny laughed. Lynna's eyes narrowed; she was running out of ideas to get rid of the redhead. "Give Lynna's ears a break Jethro," Jenny teased him, placing one hand on his cheek in what may have been seen as condescending, but Lynna quickly saw it was not. She watched angrily as Jenny leaned into her husband and pressed her lips to his, coaxing a kiss full of passion out of him. 

Gibbs had been listening intently, trying to find a way to intervene in the conversation when he felt Jenny's hand press to his cheek gently. It didn't take him long to realize that she had gotten much closer, and the look in her eye told him that the kill shot was here. That did not prepare him for what she did next. He heard her say something about giving someone's ears a break, but he was too focused on her closeness. Gibbs was entirely taken by surprise as she pressed her lips against his with a hint of passion. As he got over his initial shock, he felt her tongue lightly trace his lips, and he gave her the entrance she sought. The kiss turned much more passionate at that moment, and he was fully aware that she had long passed, making her point when she finally eased off slightly. Jenny pulled back far too soon for his taste, and he had half a mind to pull her back when he realized they were still sitting in the bar, and Lynna was trying to hide her impersonation of a goldfish. 

Jenny tried to slow down the pacing of her heart and control her breathing. It was supposed to be a gentle kiss, one with just enough passion for making it visible he was taken. She had forgotten the one tiny thing about kissing him that she should have remembered. It was a match, a match that often lit an explosion, and she should have known that even with the nine years' lack of kisses, that it wouldn't have changed. She spared a glance at Jethro to try and determine his thoughts, but his eyes were still glazed, and she realized he was not coherent enough to form thoughts. Jenny met Lynna's eyes and couldn't hide the tiny smirk at the anger she saw lurking there.  _ Take that. _

"Well, I should…" Lynna began.

"Lynna!" Russ's voice called through the bar. 

"Oh Russ, darling, I was just talking with Jenny and Jethro." Jenny had felt Jethro come out of his passion haze the second Russ's voice had reached them. Predictably she felt him tighten his grip on the hand that had fallen to her waist. 

"So I see," Russ said, and Gibbs could recognize the anger simmering below the surface. Gibbs felt his anger rise as he noticed the other man's eyes trace Jenny's figure. He could feel Jenny tense beside him and knew it was time to go. 

"I think we'll go try out that tub," he gestured to the server at the other end. "Timothy, isn't it?"

"Yes sir?"

"Bring a bottle of bourbon by 1408," Jethro said.

"Right away, sir," McGee answered and knew when he got there, he would have to ditch the security disk he was currently holding.  _ Gibbs is going to kill me if he finds out.  _

"We'll see you tomorrow," Jenny said to the other couple. "Good night."

"Good night," they answered, almost robotically. Gibbs kept his arm around her as they walked back to their room; they opened their door but were surprised not to find Duke waiting. 

"Jethro…where's Duke?" 

"Wasn't he with you?"

"I brought him back before I went swimming, I was going to let him out again, but then McGee came by, I didn't even get to change." Gibbs noticed the bathroom door closed in the bedroom and signaled her to be quiet and step back. She did as instructed her gun level as he opened the door. A mass came flying out and pined Gibbs to the ground. "Duke down!" Jenny ordered, and the dog quickly stopped barring his teeth, realizing that his mistress wasn't in any danger. He licked Gibbs' face as an apology before trotting over to Jenny's form and sitting in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, yea, I'm fine." he saw her about to discipline Duke but stopped her. "Don't Jenny, he did what he was trained to, good boy Duke."

"Jethro, he could have…"

"He's supposed to protect you from everything. I don't want him confused. It wasn't even bad; he just pushed me down," Gibbs explained. He walked over and pet Duke gently, the dog seemed glad for the attention. "Yes, you're a good boy."

"You could probably use that bath now, though," Jenny commented.

"I'm not that old."

"No, you smell like dog drool," she countered, walking back into the main room. 

"You could join me, the tub is awfully big for one person," he called. She peaked her head back in. 

"You know I was joking about that," she stated. 

"I wasn't," he muttered, hearing a knock on the door. Jenny answered the door, relieved to find McGee. "McGee," he called to the younger man and quickly watched him pull his eyes off Jenny's form. 

"Boss brought the bourbon, and all of the stuff Tony and Ziva sent me, nothing new except that they found out Christine Colmen has an alibi for all of the murders."

"So she didn't do it," Jenny concluded.

"No, ma'am," McGee agreed. 

"Good work," Gibbs said, and McGee nodded, leaving. Jenny shut and locked the door. "So, about that bath?"

"In your dreams, Jethro," she teased, going to pour a glass of bourbon. Gibbs caught her by her arm, snagged the bottle from her hand, and took it into the bathroom. "I was going to drink that."

"You want it? Come and get it," he challenged. Gibbs turned on the water and waited for the tub to fill when he turned he found Jenny standing in the doorway. He held the bottle out, shaking it slightly. "Come on, Jenny…"

"You don't want me to try."

"Why not?"

"You're not going to like the outcome," Jenny assured. Gibbs doubted that, but as he checked the water progress, he found she had disappeared. "Call me when it's full." 

Gibbs decided to stay put as he heard her rustle through her bag. Whatever this outcome was, he was sure he was going to enjoy it a lot. Twenty minutes later, he was satisfied with the water level.

"Jenny?" he called. 

"Be in, in a minute," she responded. Gibbs stripped and slid into the warm water letting it soak in and ease the pain in his bones. He closed his eyes, one hand tightly grasping the bottle of bourbon. A minute later, he heard her steps on the tile, and he blinked open. Jenny had dimmed the lights and was wearing a fluffy robe from the hotel closet as she came in. He turned his head to take in the view, waiting for her to take off the robe. She turned away from him to hang up the robe. However, he was not treated to the sight of her back. She was still wearing her bath suit, and not even a bikini she might have worn years ago, an old one-piece, that while it still showed her curves, it hid a lot of skin.  _ Not fair,  _ he pouted,  _ Not that I should have hoped for more.  _

"Nice suit."

"I like it too," she agreed, slipping into the far side of the tube. Gibbs decided he hated this tub; it was too big. He was also very aware that her eyes had not drifted below his neck.  _ Damn self-control _ , he vowed to make it crumble as he had once before. "Can I have the bottle?"

"You're all the way over there, it's a long reach," he complained, making an effort of passing her the bottle. Jenny leaned forward and snatched it from his hands.

"Keep complaining, and I'll dump rose smelling bath salts in here," she threatened. 

"You wouldn't!" Jenny smiled and took a drink for the bottle. "You could use a glass…"

"You didn't complain about my germs an hour ago," she reminded. 

"Give me a reason not to."

"Oh no, not falling for that one," she said, catching on. "Matter of fact, think I'll leave you to your bath, I love this shower." 

"You would," he huffed; he had heard about showers like this, that they existed in spas, and that all the jets were soothing. Frankly, they just blocked his view.  _ Join her? Don't join her? _ "Can I join you?"

"You're asking permission?"

"Yes…" he replied hesitantly. He certainly didn't want to force her into anything she wasn't ready for, but at the same time, he wasn't sure he possessed that kind of control. 

"If you behave." 

"You sure you don't want to enjoy the tub?" 

"Very." Gibbs entered the shower only to find her still in the damn bathing suit. 

"You're going to get soap in your suit," he remarked. He let one hand fall on her waist and just rest there gently. 

"The suit will survive." He raised one hand and tugged on her hair lightly. "Jethro?"

"Hm?" He answered.

"Why did you kiss me back?" His hand fell from her hair to her shoulder and pressed gently. 

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Gibbs countered. She rolled her eyes at him. 

"You can't answer a question with a question." He pressed a little bit more on her shoulder, backing her up slightly. 

"Answer mine."

"Not till you give me an answer." Gibbs watched the fire settle into her eyes, the fire that told him she was gearing up for an argument, one that had potential complications given their attire, or lack of attire. She had not moved her hands or her arms; they rested at her side, whereas he tightened his grip. 

"You want an answer?" 

Jenny nodded, feeling his one hand leave her waist and grasp her chin, holding her eyes level with his, while his other arm went behind her head. 

"Okay." Gibbs leaned down and devoured her lips with his, kissing hard. His hand fell from her chin to her neck, caressing it softly as he felt both her arms wrap around his neck as she began to kiss him back. He resisted as long as he could, but it wasn't long before he had slid a finger underneath the strap to her suit. As he traced the skin just under the material, he felt her breath catch. Gibbs watched the red flush creep across her skin, loving the way she looked at that moment. He let go of her lips, allowing him to trace down her neck, giving her the chance to breathe. He felt her breath next to his ear. 

"Good answer," Jenny replied before kissing him again, leaving butterfly kisses all over his face. The kissing became more urgent, and both of them realized that a shower was probably not the best idea for this, and so the kisses slowed before stopping altogether. Gibbs rested his forehead against hers as they caught their breath. 

"Jen."

"Hm?" 

"Think Duke can sleep in the lounge tonight?" She chuckled, feeling the brief awkwardness slip away. 

"He might not be too happy with that."

"He'll live," Gibbs assured. He retraced the strap and felt her shift slightly. "Promise I won't touch." He turned her around and gently eased the strap down one shoulder. He got both straps down, and she pulled her arms through them, freeing herself. Gibbs pushed the swimsuit down her hips gently, being careful to stay away from her certain parts as she stepped out of it. He let her turn around, enjoying the sight of parts of her, he hadn't seen in years. He left his hands safely on her waist, squeezing it gently to get her to look at him. Jenny looked up almost shyly, and he was surprised by it, he leaned in again and brushed her lips with his. "You haven't changed a bit."

"I thought we agreed to skip that," she retorted, feeling relieved. He chuckled against her lips, the sound vibrating through his chest into hers. "We better get out before the water goes cold." 

"Hmmm," he murmured, kissing her neck gently, licking the droplets of water of her skin. He loved the way her pulse accelerated under his lips. "You haven't washed your hair."

"Later." Gibbs let go of her stepping out and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around him before grabbing another and wrapping it around her. They dried off and moved toward the bedroom. Jenny stopped him at the doorway to the bedroom. "Stay put."Gibbs did as told confused, but watched her lure Duke out of the room. "No crying, Duke, stay." 

The dog settled on the ground right outside the door, and Jenny shut it. She then stepped closer to the nights stand and signaled for him to be silent; he hadn't made any other sounds but watched as she pulled the phone up and revealed a bug. She picked up the recording device, and he watched her place it on the phone in the lounge. 

"You wired the room?"

"I didn't, McGee did. Didn't think you'd want DiNozzo to have a live feed."

"There a camera?" he inquired. Jenny pointed at the bookshelf; he noticed the photo album in front of the book with the camera in it. When he looked back, she was standing near the bed, and he wandered over to her, carefully peeling away the towel. 

\--

McGee was sitting in his room, debating how to get out of the current mess he found himself in. He finally opened his laptop and found Abby staring back at him. He sent her a message and activated his webcam so she could see him.

"McGee! You were supposed to check in an hour ago!"

"Sorry, Gibbs told me to watch the Director, she had to go rescues, Gibbs."

"What? What happened?" Abby demanded. McGee sent the video footage to the lab and watched Abby pull it up.

"Oh, Probie, you are so dead, if Gibbs finds out!"

"Tony!" he gasped. "Abby, what is Tony doing there?"

"Ziva's here too; we're monitoring the case, of course, MTAC was busy."

"Tony doesn't pick on McGee," Ziva chimed in.

"McGee, you are a lucky devil," Tony sighed. "What is she wearing underneath that?"

"Uh, a swimsuit."

"You're kidding?" Tony questioned.

"Tony!" Ziva slapped him. "Do not continue with that thought."

"McGee, didn't you wire their room?" Abby asked. 

"Yea, why isn't' it working?"

"No, she moved the one in the bedroom to the lounge."

"There was a camera."

"Blocked," Tony grumbled. "Wait, hear that…" 

"Jenny…"

"Duke no whining," Jenny was heard scolding. 

"Wonder why the dog was whining?" McGee asked the others.

"Probably the noise from the bedroom, think she's quiet?" Tony inquired.

"You don't want to know Tony," Ziva responded. "McGee, did you not put a camera in the lounge as well." 

"I did," McGee powered the camera, and it relayed images of Jenny walking in her robe near the phone. He watched her place a suitcase over it. 

"No more interruptions," Jenny said sweetly. She glared towards the camera and made the cut signal look before disappearing the bedroom door closing. 

"Not fair," Abby complained. "Well, I'll make copies of this…"

"Abby!" McGee protested. 

"You weren't paying attention, someone was watching them from the side, plus Tony wants to know if he won the bet."

"What bet?"

"Probie bet you a hundred that she frenched him." McGee groaned. 


	10. In  the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so we finally get to what some of you have been waiting for. 
> 
> Mature Readers, read on.   
> Nonmature readers, you might want to just skip this one.

"No more interruptions," Gibbs heard her say as he watched her put a suitcase over the phone and come back towards him, giving a death glare to the camera he knew was placed there. He'd check McGee and Abby's computers later just to make sure, but he trusted his team, well trusted that they didn't want to end up with concussions. Jenny came back into the room, pulling the door closed behind her. He was waiting right there and tugged her closer to him. She came willingly into his arms, smiling up at him. 

"Think they would have taped it?" Jenny laughed softly; she wouldn't be surprised if the few seconds had already been broadcasted through MTAC, but she pushed that thought away. Right then, she could have cared less if it was on the eleven o'clock news. This was all that mattered to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her body closer to his, hating the flimsy piece of satin between them. 

Gibbs leaned down and brushed her lips gently with his, a whisper of a kiss. He lingered longer as he felt her return the kiss tenderly, trying to make this last as long as possible, knowing it wouldn't. He ran his hands down her side, the feel of the soft satin beneath his hands, stopping as he reached the edge of the robe. Jenny trailed her own hands down his chest, pressing lightly tracing the muscles till she reached the edge of the towel he had around his waist. She gave it a light tug and felt it fall to their feet. He took that as the sign to go on and undid the sash on her robe, slipping it off her shoulders, letting it pool on the ground. She immediately pressed herself closer to him, but he held her back a second, just taking in the form he had missed for so many years. He pulled her into a slow kiss and wrapped his arms around her. Her curves molded to his form, and he carefully lowered her on to the bed. His lips traced down her neck again, along her collarbone as her own hands ran the length of his back. 

Jenny tilted her head back to give him access, and he immediately responded. He pressed open mouth kisses to her neck, just below her ear; she gasped, feeling the rush of blood through her veins. Gibbs kissed his way back up her neck to her lips, exploring her mouth with his tongue as his hands trailed down her chest. She arched into his touch, trying to meld herself to him, and he took all she was willing to give. His mouth followed his hands, lingering on her breast as his hand reached her center. Her hips tilted up to meet his hand, desperate for the touch as a coil began to form in her stomach. Jenny trailed her hands down his chest and past his waist, taking him in her hand and hearing how he breathed her name. 

Gibbs rest in the space between her hips as her long silky legs wrapped around him, trying to draw him in. He rested gently at her entrance, carefully easing in, watching her face contort in pleasure and looking for any grimace of pain. She gasped as he began to move, and he stopped worried he had hurt her.

"Jenny?"

"It's okay," she promised her emerald green eyes meeting his cobalt blue. Jenny loved the color his eyes turned when they together. He slowly moved again, thrusting in and out of her in long strokes. She pulled herself as close to him as her body would let her meeting him thrust for thrust. She could feel herself spiraling to the edge wanting more than anything to bring him over the edge with her. Jenny breathed his name in his ear, and the speed and force picked up as she encouraged it. They fell together, names a breathy whisper, as he collapsed on top of her, and she held him in place, burning the feelings into her mind and heart. Gibbs nuzzled her neck affectionately, and she giggled softly. He pulled back to look at her eyes, finding them more alive than he had ever remembered. Gibbs loved the way she laughed; he decided it was one of his favorite sounds. He tried to move off her, sure he was crushing her, but she held him in place, not wanting to lose the feeling quite yet. 

"Jenny…"

"You're fine." 

"You're getting squashed," he teased, rolling them completely, so she rested against him, still somehow managing to stay connected. She leaned down to kiss him softly, lovingly, before resettling against his chest. Jenny could hear the slowing of his heartbeat, a comforting thump against her ear as his hand trailed through her hair. She was surprised at the sudden wetness in her eyes and the feeling that her heart had suddenly felt whole, that it didn't feel on the edge of shattering as it had every day since she had left her coat on a plane. She pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart, and felt his arms tighten around her. 

"Jethro…" her voice was barely above a whisper, not wanting to break the stillness that had settled on them. 

"Go to sleep Jenny," Gibbs told her, kissing her head gently. He pulled the blankets over them, enjoying the comfort of her weight on his chest. He felt her try to shift a little. "Stay."

"Now, you're the one being squashed."

"You barely weigh anything," he said. 

"Uh-huh," she sighed. He squeezed her waist gently.

"You don't," he paused, kissing her again. "We'll have to fix that." She laughed. 

\--

"Can you see anything yet?"

"No."

"Hear?"

"No." 

"Then fix it!"

"You two are so dead when they get back." Ziva's amused voice forced Tony to turn away from the computer MTAC, where McGee's image was. 

"And just why is that Officer Dah-veed?" Tony questioned. 

"Spying on the parents, McGee!" Abby exclaimed. "That's awful!"

"Tony…"

"Say Tony made you, and I will slice you both using a pencil." Tony shied away from the Mossad agent. "Now get rid of that."

"That is evidence Ziva," Tony tried. "We can't get rid of the evidence."

"Trying to figure out what the Director and Gibbs are doing behind closed doors is not evidence. It's winning a bet, which there is nothing to win."

"If you don't think they're doing it…" Ziva placed her hand over Tony's mouth.

"You do not want to finish that sentence." 

"McGee, I can't believe you would do this!" Abby snapped, drawing the others' attention.

"Abby, I didn't…"

"You did! Do you understand that this could ruin everything?" 

"Abby," Tony tried to soothe the forensic scientist, but she was having none of it. "Abby, really, it's not…"

"Not that big a deal? Yes, it is! You think I just randomly decided to call the Director?"

"We thought you wanted her to go with Gibbs, just like all of us," Tony answered.

"Yes, because they need marriage counseling, but if you just keep the bets, they'll never want to stay together!" The Goth cried. Ziva nodded in understanding. 

"They are both private people; they would not want their relationship broadcasted."

"So, we just look the other way?" McGee inquired. 

"Yes!" 

"Abbs, you spoil the fun," Tony sighed. He felt two hands connect with the back of his hand. "But, I'll obey."

"Wise decision Tony," Ziva agreed. "McGee, when they do decide to wake up, have them look at the email we sent. I believe we may have found something."

"What?"

"Well…I ran the security footage you gave us and then the camera of their room. Someone locked Duke in the bathroom; I could make out Jenny talking in the hall and then nothing," Abby said.

"I got the Director to get Gibbs," McGee informed. "She was about to go into her room."

"Well, good on you, Probie, now get back to work," Tony ordered.

"Tony…" he grumbled. Tony waved and left the room. McGee said goodbye and signed off. Abby waited a minute before turning to Ziva.

"Think he knew she was going to be in the room?" 

"I think McGee may have saved the Director's life," Ziva responded before getting up and leaving Abby in the silent MTAC.

\--

"How hard was this for you?" She demanded from within the darkened room.

"For me?" He snapped back as he closed the door. "You couldn't keep him occupied long enough for me to get her."

"It wasn't me. I had him in the palm of my hand till she showed up!" 

"Of course you did," he mocked.

"Without me, you wouldn't get to have your fun!" She reminded angrily.

"She will submit, or she'll face the penalty as the others."

"She loves her husband to damn much, can't say I blame her. He has quite the package."

"But husbands become monotonous, and that is a woman who shouldn't be tied down."

"She won't cheat on him. I looked at their file."

"Any woman can be persuaded, she just needs the right touch," he stated, wiggling his fingers. 

"If you think she'll let you that close to her, you're insane," she commented. "That woman is besotted with her husband, and whatever it is he's doing the trick, so kindly restrain her so I can show him what a real woman is like."

"Make them watch each other come undone by someone else."

"Just like the others."

"Excellent."

"And if they protest…"

"They will not last long." He pulled his knife, testing the blade's sharpness before replacing it and leaning forward, kissing the woman in front of him. "It won't be long now."

\--

The sunlight drifted through the heavy curtains and danced upon the comforter and over the alabaster skin that peaked from underneath. It touched the auburn locks that spilled onto the white pillows and over to the silver hair that lay resting next to the auburn. It casts the colors into softer glows, and Gibbs felt himself smile briefly. This was admittedly his second favorite part about waking up next to her; in the rejuvenating golden sunlight, she looked divine, and he often thought that sometime in the night, she had been changed into Aphrodite. He let his eyes caress her form, a form he had reacquainted himself with multiple times throughout the previous night. 

After the initial loving, they had rested, recovered, and started all over. Although almost a decade had passed, they had found that they were both able to satisfy the other in ways that left him begging for more. They had finally passed out from sheer exhaustion around early morning, and now with the dawn rising, he felt much recovered. Usually, he would get up and have a shower and shave, look for coffee, but this morning he was perfectly content to lay there wrapped around her watching Jenny sleep. Some hair had fallen into her face as she shifted closer to his body, and he gently brushed it away. Gibbs loved all of her equally, but he had always had a thing for her hair, not just because it was red, but also because it had this perfect blend of smells, fruity shampoo, exotic perfume, and something that was just her. It was soft and flowy and long. He had liked the pixie cut; it made her sexy and sharp, but this longer cut had an air of softness around her that he had missed in the last two years since she had cut off her hair. Gibbs sighed gently, though he had always wondered what the pixie cut felt like, he decided that he didn't need to know that bad and so prayed she wouldn't cut her hair off again. 

Perhaps it was the sigh, or maybe it was the fact that he had been gently combing her hair with his fingers, but whatever the cause Jenny had begun to shift again. Gibbs recognized the faint movements and change in the pace of her breathing as she was waking up. He was careful with his gentle ministrations, knowing that she was not always a morning person. He caught the curl of a smile that turned into a small frown as her dreams faded away, and she became aware of her reality. Jenny snuggled closer to him, something he knew she regularly did, as she was always cold in the morning. She must have felt the difference in what might usually be her pillow, and her green eyes blearily blinked awake. She had focused them on his side, and he could see the small crease in her forehead as she tried to place all of this in her mind. The crease disappeared, and Gibbs could tell she grinned just a little as the memories filled her. He felt her eyes trace up his form to meet his eyes. He kept them closed until he felt her eyes focus on his face; he opened them then and caught the faint blush that swept across her cheeks. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted, his hand continuing his stroking of her hair. Jenny leaned forward, kissing him gently.

"It is a good morning," she replied with a gentle yawn. "Anyone call yet?"

"If they have, I didn't hear it." Jenny nodded, resettling her head. 

"Don't suppose we could just stay here all day," she said wistfully. 

"Sounds like a good idea to me," he agreed, dropping a kiss to her hair. He felt her stretch a little and noticed the faint wince. "Jenny?"

"Hm?"

"You okay?" 

"Never better," she responded, her eyes meeting his. Jenny was about to make some comment when she heard faint ringing followed by Duke's low growls. "Next time we unplug the phone." He chuckled lightly.

"We have to take Duke for a walk, at least," Gibbs reminded. She nodded. 

"Shower than walk, then coffee," Jenny listed. She untangled herself from him and felt him shift to get a pair of sweat pants and answer the phone. She glanced at him as he moved to answer the phone and stopped him by placing a hand on his back. He felt her trail the hand down lightly.

"Jen…"

"You might want to put a shirt on Jethro," she told him, pressing a kiss to the marks she had left. Gibbs grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it on as she went into the bathroom. He picked up the phone. 

"Hello?"

"Jethro, Christine, I didn't wake you did I?"

"Oh no, not at all," he responded.

"I just wanted to remind you and Jenny that your session is going to be this afternoon, and you have the morning to go exploring or such."

"Right, of course, what time was this session again?"

"One-thirty." 

"Right, thank you, we'll be there." 

"Till then," she said, hanging up. He smirked at the phone.  _ That gives us…seven hours. Oh, the possibilities… _

"Duke, you be a good boy for a little while longer, okay?" He bargained. Duke jumped up on the couch and settled down. "Yeah, okay, sleep on the furniture." Gibbs went back toward the bathroom, hearing the water running. He entered and found Jenny already in the shower lathering her hair. He shed his clothing and stepped in behind her, his hands reaching up into her hair. 

"I can wash my hair, you know."

"Hm, hm."

"Who was on the phone?"

"Christine, we have the morning off till our session at one-thirty."

"That's nice," Jenny mentioned as she felt his hands move through her hair, washing it for her. 

"So I thought we could go for a walk and then have breakfast here," he suggested. Jenny turned to him as she felt her hair run clean in the water. 

"An excellent idea, we could call the team on the walk."

"Yep," he answered, but his thoughts were far from his team. Gibbs let his one arm wrap around her back while the other protected her head against the wall as he leaned down to kiss her. He used his body to pin her against the wall, and she wrapped one leg around his waist, holding him in place as she returned the kisses. Gibbs felt her hands trace down his chest and lower beginning her ministrations. He let his hand fall from her back and trace her inner thigh higher. The little moan that emitted from the back of her throat pushed him onwards, and he began to stroke her gently, trying to bring her just to the edge without letting her find release. 

"Don't tease Jethro," she whimpered against his mouth, her touch changing to a lighter one, trying to lead him to her. Gibbs relented, drawing his hand away from her, hearing the moan before lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt him slid into her, the water falling around them. With all the extra jets of water, it felt like his hands were everywhere on her, raising her pleasure a notch. He moved gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing kisses to his face. He felt her muscles tighten and picked up the pace making sure he was still supporting her.

"Jen…" He felt her kisses turn more desperate, and as he felt her shudder, she bit down on his lip, gently triggering his release. He stayed inside her as he regained his breath, slipping out only to lower her to her feet, holding her tightly till her legs could support her. Jenny used the wall's support to keep her on her feet as well; the tingling sensation still surrounding her. She pulled him closer to her, holding him to her as she came down from her high. She pressed a soft kiss to his chest, trailing her lips up to his neck before kissing the corners of his mouth, careful of where she had bitten him. She tasted the metallic taste of blood, but rather than be repulsed; she simply licked at it tenderly. She felt his lips pull from hers, trailing down her neck to her shoulder, where she felt his tongue lick away, and a soft stinging sensation caused her almost to flinch. Gibbs sensed the movement and looked up at her. 

"I'm sorry, I just…"

"Well, we both have war wounds," Gibbs teased her, and she tried to glance at her shoulder, spotting just a red spot. "You're going to want to wear a dress with wide straps for a bit." 

She tried to process that and vaguely remembered him kissing down her throat before gently biting her shoulder as he came. Jenny placed her hand on the spot feeling his hand cover hers even as he pulled her closer, holding her to him. 

"Mine," she wasn't sure she was supposed to hear the faint whisper, but she knew just what word to respond with. She disentangled her hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking her body into even closer contact with his. Jenny lingered near his lips, her breath passing through his.

"Yours." 


	11. Another Session with the Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song mentioned is Dance With Me Tonight by Hugh Grant.

_ "Mine," she wasn't sure she was supposed to hear the faint whisper, but she knew just what word to respond with. She disentangled her hand and wrapped both her arms around his neck, bringing her body in even closer contact with his. She lingered near his lips, her breath passing through his. _

_ "Yours."  _

\--

Gibbs felt her press her lips to his, to seal the words she had spoken on them. His arms tightened slightly around her slender form, the water still falling around them. He kissed her back softly, slowly, just enjoying the feeling. Gibbs was loathed to let her go from his arms, but the quiet whimpering from the other room reminded him that they still had responsibilities. He couldn't lock her away from the world just yet. He felt her shiver as the water became steadily colder and knew it was time to get out. He shut off the water and pulled a towel around her. Jenny broke away from his hold to wrap herself tighter in the towel. He grabbed one for himself, drying off, trying not to watch her. They were silent, not needing words, but only subtle glances to communicate. They dressed warmly in jogging gear, and Jenny dried her hair quickly so it wouldn't turn into icicles. Gibbs grabbed the leash for Duke, and Jenny followed the two down to the main room. Thankfully no one was around except for McGee, who nodded as they went out. 

"A mile and back?" Gibbs inquired. 

"A half-mile and back," Jenny negotiated, wincing as she stretched. "It's cold," she protested at his half-raised eyebrow. 

"C'mon! You love it," he reminded, knowing her favorite time of the year was the first snowfall. 

"Honestly, I'd rather be in bed," Jenny responded as she took off down the snow-dusted trail. Gibbs caught her with little effort, and Duke ran alongside them. 

"Asleep?" he clarified, mocking words she had used many years ago. She turned to him slightly, still running, saying nothing but giving him a look that made his heart stop for a second and unfortunately, for him, his eyes to miss the root sticking up from the ground. He tried to regain his balance but ended up in the snowbank just to the side of the trail. Jenny slowed down and stopped when she noticed what happened. She was a little worried but couldn't help the small burst of laughter that escaped her. 

"Are you okay?" she asked in between laughs.

"Just peachy," he remarked. Jenny held out her hand as Duke came over to inspect. Gibb took her hand and got to his feet. 

"Didn't break anything?"

"You gonna play nurse?"

"Oh no, you'd be sleeping on the couch," she answered.

"No, nothing was broken." She brushed the snow off his arm.

"I think we've had enough of the outdoors. Let's go back and talk to the others, and then…" Jenny paused, turning to go off in the direction of the lodge and brushed against his arm. "I'll kiss it better."

"Promise?" Gibbs called after her. Tinkling laughter was his only response, and they returned to the lodge at a much more leisurely pace. 

\--

"McGee!" Abby snapped into the microphone and watched as McGee jumped from his spot at the front desk.

"Abby, I'm trying to work here," he mumbled.

"Where's Gibbs?"

"He went for a run with the Director."

"He hasn't called us; Tony is getting concerned."

"I am not!" McGee heard his older teammate protest. "Ziva is." McGee heard Ziva's laughter in the background.

"Ah Timothy, have you spoken with Gibbs?" Ducky's voice cut in.

"No, Ducky, they went for a run."

"A run? Well, they were always exercise orientated," Ducky remarked his voice alluding to the beginning of a story. "Although running was not usually their method of choice."

"Do tell Ducky?" Tony egged on.

"Dr. Mallard I would remind you who you work for," Jenny's voice came in over the line and the MTAC based team glanced at the monitor to find Jenny and Gibbs had returned to their room and were in front of their computer, Gibbs with a classic glare firmly in place. 

"Director, Jethro, how is the operation going?"

"It's going," Gibbs responded. "What news?"

"Gibbs, did you see the video we sent you?" Abby piped up. 

"No."

"Well, watch, streaming it through to you now." Jenny and Gibbs watched as the side part of their screen lit up with security footage. 

"Abby," Gibbs growled, noticing it was the footage from the night before.

"As hot as the make-out session is, my silver fox, direct your attention to the side of the room." Jenny pointed out on the screen what Abby was referring to. There was another besides McGee watching them. 

"Can you get a better facial, Abby?"

"Unfortunately, it's the best we got, but based on the time and the movement of other people in the room, I think its that Russ guy," Abby informed. Jenny glanced at Gibbs, knowing this would have to be investigated further. 

"There is something else, Gibbs, Director," Ziva said.

"Waiting for an invitation?" Gibbs commented.

"We reviewed the footage from the cameras in the room while you were gone. Abby send this to them." The security footage was replaced with the feed from their camera. Gibbs watched as the door opened, and a dark figure walked in. Duke tried to attack and got a piece but was struck and then forced into the bathroom. Jenny immediately began to gently stroke the dog sitting at her feet. 

"You're a good boy," she whispered. Gibbs continued to watch and listen. He picked up on Jenny's faint voice and saw the dark figure move closer to the door. Jenny never entered the room, though, and he breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Good work," Gibbs praised his team, "Ziva focus in on Russ and Lynna, Tony keep checking the other people just to make sure, we don't want to get hit from left field. Abby, you and McGee see if you can't work out a way to get a camera in their room with a bug."

"On it, Boss!" Tony sounded off and waved as the team left MTAC.

"Ducky, give me good news."

"Afraid there is nothing to give, after reviewing the bodies again, I've come to no real conclusion as to why they were targeted. My guess is whoever was killing them was picking them because they wanted them. There's no other logical explanation."

"How's Cynthia doing?" Jenny asked.

"She's doing well, awaiting your return, Director." Ducky watched Jenny nodded, and watched as Gibbs placed a hand comfortingly over hers. It wasn't anything in the move that put the good doctor on notice but rather Jenny's reaction to it. She smiled softly toward him, allowing the comfort. "Jennifer," Ducky called and watched as Jenny turned her head back to the computer in surprise. 

"Yes?"

"Would you give Jethro and me a minute, I believe Cynthia would like to speak with you as well, she's in your office." Jenny took the message confused but left and went into the bedroom, closing the door and calling her assistant. Gibbs turned back to the computer after the door closed. 

"Duck?"

"How is she doing?"

"She's fine."

"It's a big transition from office to undercover."

"She's fine, Ducky," Gibbs assured not quite sure what his friend was getting at. 

"And you?"

"Fine as well, not fond of marriage counseling, but it's alright."

"I understand this may be difficult for both of you." He watched Gibbs' shoulders shrug. "When I was at the house the other day, you two were at each other's throats."

"What exactly do you want to know, Ducky?" The good doctor said nothing merely gave an enigmatic smile. The question Gibbs asked was evidence enough. 

"Keep in mind, Jethro; you two are supposed to be a couple in need of marriage counseling." Ducky then cut the transmission and turned to the figure standing near the door. 

"Your professional opinion, Doctor?" 

"Ziva, my dear, I would say you and Abby did very well, very well indeed."

\--

Gibbs watched the screen go dark and shook his head. Ducky was Ducky, as cryptic and obtuse as ever. He heard the door open again and glanced behind him to find Jenny peering out. He gestured for her to come out and watched the door open more as Duke came out, followed by Jenny.

"What did Ducky want?"

"Just to talk."

"Uh-huh," she responded. "Think he knows?"

"Nah," Gibbs assured. "It took him months to figure it out last time." He grabbed her waist, pulling her on the couch beside him. 

"So, what time is it?" He glanced at the computer.

"Quarter to ten." 

"Well then, I'll call room service and get breakfast, and you can find us something to watch." 

"How about we have breakfast in bed?"

"Cause you know very well we won't eat anything."

"Spoilsport!" He called after her. Gibbs found  _ Jurassic Park  _ and decided that it would creep Jenny out enough to switch to other activities. He listened to her order breakfast and decided that it would be a shame to waste the food she was getting.  _ Breakfast first, then bed. _

\--

The main dining room was naturally done with little flowers at every table to bring a little spring into the room that was otherwise surrounded by the snow-covered grounds that lay outside the windows. McGee had hated the waiter gig, but he was coming to terms with his solace since he wouldn't get in trouble when Gibbs found out about the bets. He was also a bit proud of the fact that Gibbs had chosen him to act as the go-between the team and him and the Director. McGee had heard from another busboy that the Tibbs had ordered breakfast to be delivered to their room rather than join the other couples in the dining room. He decided not to think about why that would be, feeling the head slap he would more than likely get. Instead, he chose to work in the main dining room to observe the other couples. No one would notice the waiter, and so he just did his job and listened. Jethro and Jenny Tibbs were a topic of conversation, and he couldn't help but overhear what was said.

"Arielle," Maria asked, coming up to the other woman. "Have you seen Jenny this morning?"

"No, they've been in their room far as I know since last night," Arielle answered. 

"I saw them out this morning with their dog," Derek tacked on. 

"Wonder if they went back to sleep," Steve commented. 

"Or something," Arielle added.

"Or something?" Maria echoed.

"Jenny told us a bit about her husband yesterday while we were out skiing." Maria looked at her slightly confused, not quite catching the meaning. 

"Arielle, you'll have to be more specific with her," Serena remarked. 

"She means personal description," Lynna cut in overhearing. "And honestly, I do not know what she's going on about." 

"Like hell, you don't," Arielle commented. "You couldn't tear your eyes off his belt." 

"Maybe he does it for her, but I doubt she satisfies him," Lynna bit back. "She's too frigid." 

"Don't get your panties in a twist Lynna," Serena calmed. "She obviously satisfies enough. The man is not a stranger to divorce." 

"Ladies, what are we all gossiping about?" Christine inquired. 

"Our missing couple," Lynna answered. Christine glanced around to find Jenny and Jethro not there.

"Well, you can hardly blame them, this is their first time, perhaps they just wanted some time to themselves," she responded. "I'm sure you all remember what it was like the first time around."

"Tell me, Christine, are they headed for divorce?"

"You know I don't discuss patients," Christine reminded.

"We're not asking for their inner secrets, just if they're going to try."

"I think they just need a neutral space to talk through things. They are both in highly stressful jobs, and I think their relationship gets lost in their work."

"I'm glad," Maria said. "Jenny seems very much in love with her husband. She smiles when she talks about him." Lynna rolled her eyes at the other woman. 

"Honestly, Maria, that is not what the smile is about."

"And you would know this how?" Maria questioned, losing her patience. Lynna kept her mouth shut, spying Russ entering the room. "That's what I thought. Steven?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Why don't we get breakfast to go?" Maria suggested to her husband, clearly done with the company. Christine smiled slightly, watching the couple disappear before glancing back at the women in front of her. She was getting a little irritated with Lynna's constant remarks about Jenny, but if anything, she had noticed that Jethro didn't let it sway him from his wife, which she supposed was a good thing. She'd check in this afternoon. 

\--

Jenny smiled as she felt herself being pulled closer to the source of warmth behind her. She didn't resist the movement more than happy to be wrapped in his arms, as he dozed. Breakfast had been brief, the movie lasting even less time, and they were doing what they had discovered they were still very good at. She felt happier than she had in years and wondered if this change would stay when they went back to the real world when Jennifer Shepard and Leroy Jethro Gibbs retook control. She hoped they would, she knew it wouldn't be easy, but nothing worth having had ever been simple. Gibbs murmured her name as he dozed, and Jenny felt a brief flash of pride. She closed her eyes again, having every intention of dozing for a bit more before waking Jethro up again when a buzzing reached her ears. She opened her eyes to spot the alarm clock going off. 

"Stupid thing," she muttered, hitting snooze and snuggling back into Jethro's warm body. 

"Jen," his voice was gravelly. 

"Hm?"

"What time is it?"

"Noon," she sighed. She felt him sigh beside her. 

"We should get up, have to go meet with the counselor," Gibbs suggested. She sighed again and reluctantly made to move out of the bed, grabbing a sheet to wrap around her. "Jenny?"

"I'm cold." He withheld his laugh and got up, walking toward the bathroom as she followed. 

"Wanna share a shower?"

"That hardly saves time, but maybe water?"

"Yea as a scientist, you should probably be on top of that, right?" He teased. 

"Hm…probably." Gibbs turned the water on, and they both got in. He got a washcloth and began to wash her body with gentle caresses. Surprisingly the shower did not take that long, and they quickly got ready, throwing on jeans and sweaters. 

"I'll call Tim, have him take Duke out."

"Okay," she agreed, putting on the smallest amount of lip-gloss before following him out the door. They went down to the closed sitting room and sat on the couch, waiting patiently, and it was rewarded minutes later as Christine came in. 

"Jenny, Jethro, we missed you at breakfast this morning," she greeted.

"We did a little work, some stuff came up," Jenny covered. 

"Well, I do suppose things can build up." Christine watched as the two paid attention to her. She caught the faint blush that crossed Jenny's face and was momentarily curious. Nothing about the couple in front of her seemed force. For all her observation, she had suspected them of being very intimate in private, uncomfortable with public displays of affection, but always with an air of closeness. They stood closer to each other than the other couples did, they seemed able to communicate silently, or with subtle touches and were always watching the other, but this was different. Christine wasn't sure how it was different, they acted the same, her senses just tingled at it though, whatever was going on between them was an undercurrent she had no definition. It was a curious anomaly, and she wondered if they had maybe worked through some of their issues. "Well, let's begin, how are you two enjoying the retreat?"

"It's an experience," Jethro answered.

"The other couples are interesting, but kind," Jenny added. 

"Have you two gained anything by this?" Christine watched the glances closely but could not detect the message.

"We should go on vacation more often," Jenny replied. "We need to step away from our jobs now and then."

"Good, excellent," Christine praised, truly happy with this couple before her. "Jethro, have you anything to add?"

"We need to communicate more, not just leave things as they are."

"Well I'm glad to hear this, it's obvious to me that you two are very committed to making your marriage work, which means you're committed to each other, something that often gets lost in the process," she explained. "Now for tonight's group activity I've asked the couples to pick music off a CD I have given them, they need to pick a song for themselves, and a song for the other couples present. I have a CD for you two as well, listen to it, and think about it. I'll look forward to your answers."

"Okay," Jenny agreed, taking the CD in her hand and scanning the tracks. She recognized only half the songs but hoped they were more to her taste in music and not Abby's. She felt Jethro glance over her shoulder. 

"So what if we don't think any of these songs suit us," he asked.

"Well, try-hard, but if you can't find any, you can always pick another, perhaps the first song you danced to?" He nodded. "Now, Jethro, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Jenny." 

"Sure." He glanced at Jenny, who nodded, and he left closing the door behind him. 

"I am delighted to see you two making such progress." Jenny nodded. "Are you happy with this progress, Jenny?"

"Yes, of course," she answered, trying to stay in the character of Jenny Tibbs, knowing that Jenny Shepard wanted to do a happy dance.

"Good, good." Christine watched the woman in front of her for a minute; she looked different, just as she seemed different. "Jenny?"

"Yes?"

"You love Jethro very much, yes?"

"Yes," Jenny answered, curious as to the change in the questions.

"Are you in love with him?" Jenny looked up from her hands, surprised; no one had ever asked her that, at least not about Jethro. So few people she knew realized the difference, but she knew that while she had a few men with her body and some with her heart, Jenny had never given herself to anyone the way she did him. 

"I am." Christine nodded, knowing there wasn't much more she could add to that. 

"Well, send in your husband." Jenny stood, leaving the room and getting Jethro, who closed the door after exchanging a silent communication with her. Christine watched him sit in almost the exact place Jenny had been in, his hands folding in front of him in precisely the same manner. There was something different about him as well. Christine had noticed his hardened exterior from years as a Marine. She suspected he had seen horrors few could only imagine, but there was still softness today, one she had noticed only around Jenny. "Jethro, you are a Marine."

"Yes."

"You've seen people killed, people you cared about." For a brief second, he saw Kelly and Shannon along with Kate. 

"Yes."

"Do you ever talk about this with your wife?"

"Sometimes."

"You should try talking with her more, she is part of your life, your partner, I've seen the way she watches you, I think she would be willing to listen," Christine tried. 

"She has her demons."

"Encourage her to talk to you about them," Christine suggested. "You have made quite a bit of progress these last few days." He nodded. "Would you not agree with that?"

"We have made progress," he replied, resisting the urge to jump up and down like Abby on a sugar high. 

"Good, well I think you should try talking with her some more, see how it goes."

"Okay," he agreed, glancing at the door, and she wondered if perhaps he had x-ray vision and was watching his wife. 

"Jethro, you love Jenny, yes?"

"Yes, I already answered that."

"Are you in love with her?" He looked surprised by the question, an expression very similar to Jenny's, Christine noted with faint amusement. Jethro, on the other hand, had swallowed, so his voice would sound steady. He had never thought he would ever be in love with another woman after Shannon. He had loved his ex-wives, had affection for them, but he could safely say he'd never been in love with them, but Jenny, Jenny, was different. She had gotten under his skin the way no one else had, embedded herself in his heart, and would not leave, not that he wanted her to. There had been many a night where he'd lay awake and could swear that Shannon was there calling him an idiot for letting Jenny go, for not convincing Jenny that they were better together. 

"I am," he answered soundly. Christine nodded happily.

"Well, go see your wife," She said, shooing him out of the room. He moved toward the door and found Jenny pacing the hall on the other side. "Don't forget about the CD!" Christine called after their retreating forms. 

\--

They heard Christine's reminder as they continued to walk down the hall, knowing any conversation they might have needed to be had behind closed doors. However, the voices ahead seemed to be a slight obstacle as they came around the corner of found Lynna and Russ in the hallway. 

"Jenny, Jethro," Lynna greeted politely. 

"Hello," Jenny returned, looping her arm through Jethro's. 

"Where are you two off to?" Russ inquired.

"Oh, back to the room, listen to these songs," Jethro answered. 

"You don't have to do that," Lynna commented. "Why don't you come have a drink with us?" 

"Uh well," Jenny paused, feeling her phone vibrate. She glanced at it,  _ McGee _ , and breathed a sigh of relief. "Excuse me." She stepped away. "Yes?"

"Director, I thought you might want an escape route."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, dear," Jenny answered. 

"And Abby is on standby."

"Well, of course, I'll let him know. You take good care."

"Ma'am." She hung up, hearing the click. 

"Jethro," she called, cutting into the conversation. He turned to look at her. "Abby's taken a bit of a fall. She's not hurt; she just wants to speak with you; I told her we'd call her in a bit."

"Right, well, we'll take a rain check on that drink, kids you know, better to make sure nothing to terrible is going on," he remarked. Lynna and Russ nodded, and Jenny could feel their eyes as Gibbs led her toward their room. He leaned closer to her ear so he could ensure only she would hear. "Abby?"

"On standby, it was McGee."

"What's wrong?"

"He was giving us an escape route."

"Smart kid." She said nothing as they entered the room, Jenny locking it behind them as Gibbs tapped the computer.

"Hello, my silver fox."

"Abby."

"Right so the point, we've got good news and bad news."

"Bad news first," Jenny said.

"Well, Ziva's been talking to contacts who say they're pretty sure the French Rivera Killer is in America with his accomplice. Interpol is convinced there was another person involved; Tony thinks its Lynna to lure the men away and leave the woman alone."

"And?"

"Well then they torture and kill," Abby finished.

"And the good news?" Jenny asked.

"Uh…Tony stopped betting?" the Goth tried hoping that was good enough for good news.

"Good work Abbs," Jethro said, signing out. He sat back on the couch, watching as Jenny paced the room. As she came within reach, he caught her wrist and pulled her onto the couch. She gave little resistance and curled into his side. "What's going on in there, Jen?"

"I'm worried."

"About?"

"Jethro, if that's him, then we're only fooling ourselves into thinking they don't know who we are, we've already been compromised."

"Jen, he never knew who exactly found him, only that it was NCIS, and he probably doesn't even know what NCIS is."

"Do we want to take that chance? We are without backup, without any form of defense…"

"Jen, McGee is here, the team is a helicopter flight away, and we don't know he knows, our names were never listed on that report because we were undercover. He'd never be able to trace it even if he did have access to it."

"So fine, we go with those facts. If it is the French River Killer, he's not going to go willingly. He's killed three couples already, all with military training, who's to say we're not next?"

"Jen, only one-half of those couples had military training, we both have. I know Ziva taught you tricks, so I'm not worried."

"I am!" Jenny protested. He could see she was, and he was concerned but not worried. 

"I know, I know you are," Gibbs soothed. "Do you want out?"

"No," she said sternly. "I'm going to make sure he ends up behind bars this time." Her voice was bitter, and he knew that their failure years ago had never left her just as it hadn't left him. 

"We both will."

"Good," she nodded. Gibbs watched her relax a little, knowing that there was nothing she could in the meantime. "So, we should probably listen to this CD."

"Yea, okay." He put the CD in and hit play. The soft jazz strand began, and the two listened curled up on the couch together. "Who sings this?" 

**_ It's been so long _ **

**_ Since I've known right from wrong _ **

**_ Got no job, sometimes I just sit down and sob _ **

**_ Wondering if anything will go right _ **

**_ Or will you dance with me tonight _ **

"Says Hugh Grant, I've never heard it, you?" 

"Nope. Next." Jenny hit the forward button, and they both smiled as a familiar song came through the speakers. A classic song that brought them both back to another city, another place entirely. 

"I don't know how we're supposed to pick songs for each couple. We don't know them well enough." 

"We could pick randomly and go do something…more productive," Gibbs suggested trailing his hand up her arm. She glared at him and swatted his hand away. 

"We can't go empty-handed." He grabbed the CD case from her and glanced down at the titles. 

"Let's see  _ I'll Stand By You _ , Steve and Maria." 

"Jethro, we can't just…"

"Hm… _ The World is not Enough _ , Russ and Lynna…sounds like a Bond song."

"It is, Jethro I don't believe this is what Christine had in mind when…"

"Hm…and us, let's see…" Jenny placed her hand over his mouth and stole the CD back. He looked over her, loving the mix of exasperation and affection. 

"You get to explain to Christine why we don't have a list," she warned, getting up. He watched her move toward the bedroom. She glanced back over her shoulder. "Coming Jethro?"

Duke watched curiously as the master moved toward the bedroom, closing the door behind him. The next he heard was the soft giggling of the mistress. He glanced at the now unoccupied couch and hopped up, settling down for a mid-afternoon nap. 


	12. I've Got a Bad Feeling About This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, 
> 
> Please prepare the following musical selections:  
> You and Me - Lifehouse  
> Ever the Same - Rob Thomas  
> Only Wanna be With You - Hootie and the Blowfish 
> 
> Yes, the big reveal, I was in college, Hootie and the Blowfish gave a concert and thus this story. 
> 
> Second, Duke will be okay. I promise.

McGee watched silently as the couples began to gather in the dining room, sitting down for dinner. Steve and Maria had emerged from their room for the first time since they left at breakfast; he observed the discrete way Steve placed his hand on his wife's back, a subtle caress in every move. Arielle and Derek were glaring at each other from the corners of their eyes, having had some fight at lunch, this was the first he'd seen them together. He wasn't surprised they were in marriage counseling. They had issues. Serena and Darien were conversing with another couple, clearly giving moral support and advice in some little debate that was taking place. Christine was at the center table with her assistant, her eyes also scanning the room, and he quickly pulled his away, knowing that to be caught observing would surely clue her in, McGee let his gaze go back to the entrance and found that Russ and Lynna had just entered standing together in a manner that looked forced. McGee watched as Russ and Lynna scanned the room as well, not finding what or rather who they were looking for and retreated to the bar. McGee studied them carefully, wishing he had thought to bug the bar, knowing that any little detail would help the team. 

It was a few more minutes of silent observation when he noticed that the room had dimmed slightly, people were chatting away but not as loudly as they had been, and they all seemed to be glancing at the entrance. Wondering what could be causing this weird behavior, he turned and wished he hadn't. Just outside and to the right of the doorway stood Gibbs and the Director, but McGee knew he wasn't looking at them specifically; he was looking at Jethro and Jenny. Jethro had his hand on Jenny's back, and she was turned into him slightly whispering something in his ear. McGee saw something then that he was sure he had never seen, Gibbs smiled. It wasn't just any smile like when Tony did something, or Abby was good, or even with him and Ziva, it was different, and it was also different from the way he generally half-smiled around the Director. Although he wasn't sure the Director was responsible for this smile, he thought it might be the woman Jenny; the one McGee had only seen lurking on the fringes of the Director. What confused McGee was that it didn't seem like they were aware they were the center of attention, which was unusual. He had learned early on that Gibbs knew everything that was going on around him, and he had seen enough of the Agent in the Director to know that it was probably true of her as well. Yet there they were caught up in each other; _Tony would never believe it._

He averted his eyes as they entered the room and took their seats at the table beside Steve and Maria. The room's noise level went back to normal, but McGee unquestionably didn't imagine the frequent glances over at Jenny and Jethro. He moved back to the bar, ensuring he could have the broadest view of the room with them in it. As he passed Russ and Lynna, he noticed they were both eerily silent, and their eyes, like hawks targeting their prey, were focused solely on Gibbs and the Director. He didn't like the look, was worried that it didn't bode well for the couple he was supposed to be watching over and turned back to them. He saw the glance Gibbs made toward the bar and recognized the look; it was the look he always had when he was about to get the bad guy. McGee didn't relax, but it did ease his worry a little bit, knowing that at least the boss was aware of them. However, as he looked one last time at Gibbs again, he wished hadn't. Gibbs had a hand resting on the Director's shoulder, a finger gently stroking her neck, there was nothing inappropriate in the gesture or in the way Jenny tilted her head closer to him appearing to enjoy the caress. No, there was nothing improper in the actions, but it screamed of an intimacy that McGee knew would result in more bets, and more questions, and generally bad things if something were to happen to it. 

\--

Jenny enjoyed the gentle pressure of his hand on her shoulder and the caress of his finger on her clavicle bone. She tilted her head slightly towards him, not stopping the caress, just making sure it didn't wander farther. Gibbs kept the touch light, soothing and comforting, a silent gesture that reinforced their revived feelings.

"Jen," his voice was soft, loud enough only to reach her ear. She, in response, tilted her head closer, keeping her focus on whatever it was that Steve and Maria were talking about but listening intently to him. "They're watching." 

"Let them," she replied just as quietly, her lips barely moving. "Maybe they'll act faster, and we'll catch them." 

"If they don't, we can have them brought in after this."

"Okay." She then turned her attention back to Steve and Maria, commenting and smiling sweetly. Gibbs watched her socialize, stayed silently by her side, and gently touched a constant presence until dinner was served. After dinner, Christine asked the couples to move to one of the comfortable lounges and discuss their music choices for the other pairs. Once the couples were seated, Jenny watched as Christine gathered the CD's and placed them in a pile in front of her. She knew Jethro had come up with some weak excuse as to why they didn't have their music picked out, and she was sure Christine had laughed at it. 

"Now this is a rather interesting exercise we try. Songs express meaning as I'm sure you all know, and many times, a song can be inspirational. Each couple will get a CD with the music that was selected for them when you all leave on Sunday. Enjoy it on your drive home." Christine paused a moment pulling the list from in front of her and scanning it. 

Jenny zoned out as Christine began to read, and samples of the song were played. She hadn't heard half the songs and smirked as she agreed with only a few of the nominations. She glanced over at Jethro, who was sharing the small couch with her and found him to be completely bored. His eyes were drifting from couple to couple, but focusing on nothing. She could tell it was just a habit of motion to make him look interested. Judging from the half-smirk that present, she guessed he was probably thinking up things to occupy them when they got back to the room. Not that she was going to complain, of course. Jenny had a few ideas of her own but knew she wouldn't be able to stay calm if she let her mind stay very long in that realm. 

"Now for Jenny and Jethro, we have surprisingly only three songs, most of you all agreed that these three songs suited the couple the most, although the last song had the most nominations," Christine explained. 

Jenny pinched Jethro gently on the thigh, and his head turned to hers, trying to look innocent. She glared briefly before turning and smiling at Christine.

"And what songs were these?" Jenny inquired. 

"Song Number 1," Christine announced pressing play on the stereo. The song cut to the middle where a steady beat played with a soft guitar in the background and a gentle male voice. Jenny had to smile at the song having heard it once, and thinking that it had just been them. She had thought back to Paris the first time she had listened to the song, a time when every time she turned, he had looked upon her with such a look that never failed to steal her breath. As she glanced at him this time, she found the same gentle look in his eyes and smiled a smile she only gave him. 

**_Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do_ **

**_Nothing to lose_ **

**_And it's you and me and all other people_ **

**_And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you_ **

**_and me and all other people with nothing to do_ **

**_Nothing to prove_ **

**_And it's you and me and all other people_ **

**_And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you_ **

"Very appropriate," Arielle commented sarcastically but fell silent at Derek's not-so-subtle nudge. 

"Song Number 2," Christine said, switching tracks. Gibbs watched as Christine smiled slightly while the song cut again to the middle, again playing a steady beat. He listened carefully, surprised that the lyrics stayed with him, saying everything he couldn't form words for. That the words brought back memories of other countries, and more recent ones of holding her close, soothing any pain, laughing with any joys. 

**_Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be_ **

**_Forever with you_ **

**_Forever in me_ **

**_Ever the same_ **

**_Call on me_ **

**_I'll be there for you, and you'll be there for me_ **

**_Forever it's you_ **

**_Forever in me_ **

**_Ever the same_ **

"Interesting choice," Serena remarked. "Things change."

"The more they change, the more they stay the same," Jenny answered, knowing Jethro was watching her. 

"Very true, Jenny," Christine agreed. "Now, last but not least, this one received the most nominations for you two." She hit play, and an upbeat guitar began. She looked over at Jethro immediately, knowing they had heard this song more than once.

**_You and me_ **

**_We come from different worlds_ **

**_You like to laugh at me_ **

**_When I look at other girls_ **

**_Sometimes you're crazy_ **

**_And you wonder why_ **

**_I'm such a baby_ **

**_Cause the dolphins make me cry_ **

**_Well there's nothing I can do_ **

**_I've been looking for a girl like you_ **

Gibbs listened to the words, surprised at how many of them he remembered. This had been a song they had heard in Europe and enjoyed thoroughly. They had come from very different worlds; Jenny had a privileged upbringing, and he not so much. They left out significant gaps in their past then, and it never failed to amuse her how any woman that was a redhead turned his head, or how he cringed at any mention of his numerous ex-wives. They had gone to the zoo once, and he had tried hard not to let it get to him, that her girlish self emerged full force and reminded him so much of Kelly, it had been the first time he thought that Kelly and Shannon would have liked her and that knowledge had unsettled him. It was also the first time he realized he was in love with her. 

**_You look at me_ **

**_You've got nothing left to say_ **

**_I'll only pout at you until I get my way_ **

**_I won't dance_ **

**_You won't sing_ **

**_I just want to love you, but you want to wear my ring._ **

****

**_Well there's nothing I can do_ **

**_I only wanna be with you_ **

**_You can call me your fool_ **

**_Only wanna be with you_ **

Jenny was engrossed in the song as it played. She had never forgotten that she had usually convinced him to do things, like going to the zoo with the tiniest pout. He hadn't been able to refuse. She was sure he had become immune to it since she had left but decided it warranted further investigation later. Although he had been equally convincing and half the time it had been him who had persuaded her to stand up and dance, she had been convinced she wasn't very good at it. He made her rethink that statement and many others 

"Cute song," Lynna said with forced niceness. 

"It's an old favorite of ours," Jenny replied, knowing the woman was grating on her nerves. She felt Jethro's hand on her arm, a warning not to let her irritation get to her. She had no intention of getting up and smacking the woman, much as she may have enjoyed it, but it was nice to know he could still recognize her moods. 

"Well, this concludes our evening activities," Christine interrupted, hoping to stop the apparent bickering. "I wish you all a pleasant night. I will you tomorrow." Goodnights were exchanged, and McGee watched as Gibbs and the Director left the room, heading most likely to get Duke. He waited at the front desk, and ten minutes later, they were back bundled up with Duke trotting alongside Jenny. He nodded slightly to them and watched as Gibbs let Jenny wait near the door. 

"Timothy," he called. McGee came closer, knowing they were to whisper. "News McGee?"

"Nothing new, they're still hunting leads. I can make sure they're online when you get back."

"See that you do." McGee nodded and watched as they left. 

\--

Jenny hated the cold, except for the one thing that it made her shiver, and her shivering attracted Jethro's attention and caused him to wrap his arm around her. So she hated the cold, but it was more of a thing she loved to hate. She let Duke off the leash and watched him closely as Jethro tugged her closer, allowing her to absorb his body heat. 

"Any news?" She asked when they were far enough from the lodge.

"Nothing yet, I told McGee I wanted a briefing when we get back." 

"I suppose no news is good news," She sighed.

"Is there any good news to be expected?"

"I suppose not." Jenny wrapped her arms around herself, and he stood behind her, wrapping his arms over hers, pulling her back against him. 

"We'll be alright," Gibbs assured.

"I know, I know, I just… don't want to be wrong," she explained and felt him nod. They both understood that if they failed, another couple would die. "I just wish I knew if we've gotten their interest or not."

"I think we have," Gibbs said, remembering the look in Lynna's eyes the other night.

"Or Lynna just has…" She trailed off, cocking her head to the side. 

"Jen?"

"Hm…thought I heard something," she commented, scanning the dark edges of the forest. She saw nothing that caused alarm and felt his hand gently tighten on her, assuring her she was safe. "Must have been nothing."

"Hm…" Gibbs too scanned the area but could find nothing out of place. "What about Lynna?"

"Oh right, Lynna…. she's pregnant, why would they be doing this if she were pregnant?" Jenny questioned.

"Sophie Raine knew she was pregnant and still went agreed to make that kill," Jethro reminded. 

"Sophie and Jean-Paul did not torture their victims; they just shot them."

"Maybe she's not pregnant."

"Maybe," Jenny agreed. "But then why make such a public announcement?"

"Sympathy if she should lose the baby perhaps or to distract people from them."

"Distraction tactic I could see the other just seems…desperate."

"Well, we'll see if Tony got anything off the bug in their room; maybe then we'll have a way to get them before they get us." 

"Let's hope for that," she said, turning back just as Duke shot off into the forest. "Duke!" She tried to break free from his hold on her. "Jethro!"

"He probably just heard a deer or something."

"Jethro deer have hooves, he could get hurt!" Jenny reminded, and he knew she had a point. Gibbs ran with her toward the forest edge but stopped her from going in; it was dark. 

"Duke! Duke heel!" He shouted sure the dog would come bounding out of the woods any moment when he didn't Gibbs felt a tad worried. He heard what sound like a little yelp and noticed Jenny freeze.

"Jethro…"

"He's fine, he's going to be fine," he assured, and he made his way into the woods, sensing Jenny behind him. The path widened for the two to walk alongside, and he felt her slip her hand into his. 

"Duke!" Jenny heard the yelp again and picked up the pace tugging Jethro after her. 

"Jen slow down, you don't want to fall too," he warned. They entered a small circle of trees, and Gibbs watched her freeze, not knowing which way to go. 

"We split up; I'll take this side," Jenny said.

"Splitting up isn't…"

"We'll find him faster!" Gibbs stopped her from taking off and handed her his back up weapon, knowing she probably didn't have hers.

"Try not to shoot me." Jenny nodded going off in the direction she had indicated, Gibbs watched for a moment before turning in the opposite, his gut starting to act up. He hoped to God that nothing had happened to Duke; he knew Jenny would take it hard. 

Jenny, on the other hand, was worried as she kept going, and there was no sign of the dog. Every so often, she called out to him and heard the faint bark in response. She didn't like that, she didn't like that he could still bark but couldn't come to her. The wind attached her hair and stung at her cheeks, causing her to try and wrap her coat tighter around herself while still keeping her gun ready. Jenny was starting to wish she hadn't thought up the splitting up idea, Jethro's presence would have been a welcome comfort at this point. 

"Duke!" She tried again and heard a much louder bark. Jenny stopped and called again, orienting herself in the direction the responding bark came from. He had to be close. She took off jogging briskly, wanting to be able to get to him and, at the same time, not get injured. She felt like she had to be right on top of him when she felt her feet give out below her and felt herself tumble down a hill. At least she thought it was a hill. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she realized she'd fallen into a pit, apparently victim to the same hole Duke was. She saw him lying down, looking at her. "Oh, Duke." She tried to get up but felt her ankle give away. _Ouch!_ "Jethro!" She knew calling for him might work; hopefully, he wouldn't fall into the pit as well. 

Jenny hobbled over and slid down next to Duke, softly petting the dog that had become as close as any friend could. She checked over and found he might have broken one of his legs as well and hoped he would be all right. She had always had a soft spot for dogs, and she hoped she would be able to keep him. _Jethro would agree, he's always saying I don't have enough alarm systems_. 

"JETHRO!" She yelled again, hoping her voice carried over the wind. Jenny reached into her pocket and found her cell phone. "No service, well, that's just great," she muttered. "Don't worry, Duke, Jethro will be by soon enough." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince herself or state a fact. "JETHRO!"

"I'm afraid Jethro is a little busy at the moment," a voice she recognized all to well said. She turned surprised to see what must have been a door open. 

"Where is he?"

"Don't worry, you'll see him soon enough." Jenny tried to stand up, and she tried to fire her gun, but her lack of balance caused the shot to go astray and hit the shoulder of her visitor instead of the heart. "You'll pay for that bitch." 

Faster than she could react, he kicked her abdomen, knocking her to the ground. Duke growled and tried to get up to protect her. He had made it a few painful steps when Jenny saw the gun. 

"Duke no, down," she ordered, hoping her attacker would not shoot the dog.

"You'd take a beat for your dog, just what would you do for your husband?"

"Just leave them both be," Jenny tried, the sinking feeling in her stomach telling her something had happened to Jethro. "Please just leave them be."

"You think I will be as easy appeased; you are mistaken." Jenny watched him fire something at her and felt a sharp, needle-like object pierce her shoulder. She glanced down, seeing the dart sticking out of her shoulder. She felt her body begin to tire and could do nothing as he sedated Duke and then turned to her. "Scream for him all you want, he won't be able to hear you, but we should give him something to remember you by." 

Jenny felt the diamond locket be pulled from around her throat and tried to resist the urge to smile. As the world became hazy, she knew she would be okay. Jethro would find her, he always did.

"Jethro…"

\--

Gibbs was starting to think this splitting up was a really, really bad idea. He hadn't heard any barks in his direction at all, and he had a sinking feeling that Jenny had gotten herself into trouble. He wouldn't be stupid enough to blame her for the problem she found herself in, she attracted it like Tony, and he wouldn't underestimate her ability to fight back, but other thoughts would nag him. If she had been taken by surprise, shot by a sniper, stabbed, drugged, there was a whole list of possibilities that would incapacitate her and prevent her from fighting back. Gibbs reached into his pocket for his cell phone and found he had no battery. _Damnit,_ he cursed. He should have charged it. Jenny could be in trouble and calling for him, and he would never know. With this thought in mind, he turned back in the direction he had come moving faster. They would find Duke together, but first, he would find her. He had just reached the clearing and circle of trees when he heard her voice.

"Jethro." It was barely there above the wind, but he guessed that was her; he ran in the direction she had gone in when they first split and kept calling for her, but he heard nothing more. He stopped after he'd run for a few minutes.

"JEN!" Gibbs shouted, trying to hear for her, make sure he was heading in the right direction. "JENNY! Answer me!" He felt the presence behind him and sucked in a breath of relief. "Christ Jen, don't do…" he turned, and the relief sped away. He backed up and felt himself sliding and tumbling into a pit. He looked up to find his visitor leaning over the edge with a pleased smirk. 

"Jenny, Jenny, that's all we ever hear. Jenny can't talk to you right now." Gibbs got to his feet as the visitor disappeared at the top. He proceeded to walk the enclosed space and froze as something caught his eye as the moon passed overhead. Something sparkly lay in the ground. He reached down and felt the smooth metal and rock. He pulled the object closer to him and found Jenny's necklace in his hand. 

"What did you do to her?" Gibbs shouted half glad the clasp had been broken, half terrified of what that meant for her.

"No need to shout, I'm right here." His visitor stepped out from what might have been a door. 

"Where is she?"

"Don't worry; you'll see her again soon." Gibbs reached for his gun but felt a sharp prick to the back of his neck. "Ah, ah, I wouldn't do that. This will make you a bit more cooperative." The last thing he saw was the necklace encased in his hand. 

\--

McGee was getting nervous. He didn't claim to have a gut or to be psychic about bad things like Gibbs, or occasionally like Tony. He believed in the facts, but right now, he felt this general unease that wouldn't leave him alone. He kept glancing at the entrance every so often, hoping that Gibbs would walk back in, with the Director close beside him safe and sound, but as the time passed, he felt that wouldn't be the way it went tonight. McGee was just heading to his room to grab a flashlight to go outside and look for them when his cell phone vibrated. He glanced down and recognized the number as Abby's lab.

"Abby?" he answered the phone, making sure no one else was around.

"Where's Gibbs?" Ziva's voice was a surprise.

"He and the Director went out for a walk with Duke, bout a half-hour ago," McGee answered the dread growing. 

"McGee, find them!" Tony shouted over the phone. "The crime scene wasn't the original crime scene; they staged the bodies."

"What?" McGee gasped unwilling to believe they had missed that the first time around.

"Just find Gibbs!" Ziva snapped. 

"I'm on it, did he answer his phone?"

"They're both not answering, they might not have service," Tony replied. He heard Abby's gasp and an alarm sound in the background.

"What? What happened?" McGee demanded, turning and heading for the door to look for Gibbs.

"The Director…"

"What about the Director, Abby?" Ziva barked. 

"The panic alarm went off."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To Be Continued...  
> Sorry. 
> 
> Again, Duke will be okay!


	13. The Bad Guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some cannon typical violence in this capture, along with some non-consensual touching (NOT BETWEEN JENNY AND GIBBS), if this bothers you, you should probably give this chapter a miss.

The first thing Jenny was aware of was the pain that radiated from her shoulder. It was constant and biting, spreading down her arm and up her neck into her head. She tried to open her eyes, and that hurt more. She blinked a few times, squinted to adjust them to the faint lighting and kept trying, even if it were painful, she would be of no help if she couldn't describe her prison. It had to be a prison since her hands were restrained behind her back to some sort of round object. She tried to move but found that wasn't happening, and her knees throbbed, indicating that she had been in the position for some time. She could taste the metallic blood and realized there had to be a cut or gash somewhere on her head because her lips felt fine, just bruised. As her memories returned, she tried to look around for Duke, remembering that he had been with her in the pit. Twisting her head in any direction caused extreme pain, and she bit down on a moan that might alert her captors to her position. She could tilt her head up and found a bed, not three feet from her eyes. She studied the bed carefully, taking in the form lying there, a sheet covering the body. 

_ What the hell is going on here? _ Jenny asked herself, trying to figure out what weird torture these people were in to. As she let her eyes drop back to her lap, she noticed her shirt had been ripped, her jacket missing, and she shivered instantly as the cold finally dawned on her. She thought back to what had happened, running through the woods, separating from Jethro, falling into the pit, the voice, calling for Jethro…as her thoughts traveled back to her lover she tried to piece together why he wasn't there. He had not found her in the pit, but that didn't mean he didn't know she was missing; he would have known the second the clasp on the necklace broke _ unless they did something to him too _ . That thought was not particularly pleasant, and she hoped it was not the case. She let her ears take in the faint noises, trying to judge where she might be, her nose trying to pick up any familiar scents. The only thing she recognized was the faint scent of bourbon leftover on her skin from when Jethro had kissed her earlier in the evening. It was comforting, but she knew she couldn't get lost in her memories quite yet. She would save them for when she desperately needed the escape. 

Jenny glanced back at the body on the bed again and studied it trying to recognize familiar forms. It did appear familiar to her, but the only reason it would was if it had been Jethro's body, and that was not a fact she was willing to recognize quite yet. Especially considering the body lay perfectly still, she could barely detect the faint movement of the sheet with the breathing. As she struggled through the pain to move her head to the left a little more to look at the rest of the body, she found something that caught her breath. A knife lay resting almost innocently on top of the sheet, within her view, and it was stained red. She could not feel any wound on her own body and hoped to God they hadn't used it on her body. Her study was cut short as she heard footsteps and faint voices nearby.

"They should be coming to soon."

"I hope the sedative didn't dampen her spirits too much."

"If only."

"I would love to be able to give her something to scream about." Jenny felt her stomach lurch fully aware of what that comment meant.  _ Jethro, please hurry. _

"Enjoy the frigid bitch; I think I will have myself a ride with a cowboy." 

"If he can last."

"He's a Marine. Marines have stamina." The tinkling laugh confirmed everything Jenny suspected, and with that laugh, she felt her heart clench. Shortly following the laughter came a low moan of pain, and Jenny felt her heart splinter just a bit more. The scent of bourbon had not only been leftover from his mouth on her skin, but it was also his scent, and it was there because he was there, which meant that if he were here, he wouldn't be rescuing her. 

"Jethro," she whispered, trying to keep her voice barely audible. She wanted these last moments with him; maybe he would have a plan. She watched as his head turned toward her voice, and she could see he was restrained as well. "Jethro." 

Jenny knew she wasn't loud enough. He could perhaps sense her presence, but there was nothing he could do. She again struggled with her restraints, knowing that she could get to him if she could just get out of them. She scanned the room, looking for any possible weapon beside the knife, a brief satanical imagine of carving out their captors' heart appearing before her.  _ Oh, if only _ , she cursed. However, the thought brought back a memory, her nightmare from just a few days go. As she glanced around her surroundings again, she found it was frighteningly similar. It only reinforced her desire to break free before what she had seen came to pass. 

\--

McGee was heading for the woods, following directions as Abby yelled at him through the earpiece. She was worried they'd be too late or that something worse had happened to them. McGee tried to reassure her, but he was very aware that until the helicopter got to Ziva and Tony, he would be on his own, and he would be the only backup his boss had. It kept him focused and made him pay attention to things Gibbs would have been proud he'd noticed. The slight disturbance of the snow, the path of dog prints that took off in the woods followed by a much smaller pair of feet, all were things he noticed this time around and followed. 

"McGee, go left, damnit!" Abby snapped loudly through the earpiece.

"You don't have to shout, Abby!" He argued back. 

"It's Gibbs, and the Director, you should never have let them out of your sight!" She protested.

"Now Abigail," Ducky chided in the background. "Those two are trouble magnets; it is not McGee's fault that they have issues waiting for backup, why I remember when…"

"Ducky!" Abby yelled, cutting off the older man.

"Anyway, do not worry. I'm sure they'll be fine. They have a habit of cheating death."

"Yea, well luck runs out," McGee remarked. 

"You're getting closer!"  _ Finally! _ McGee picked up the pace, but upon coming to an opening, he paused, searching for traps. 

"How much further Abbs?"

"You're there, at least you should be according to this," she whispered. He shined his flashlight and noticed a pit. 

"Found a hunter's pit," he informed, shining the light down. "Boss?" There was no answer. The light reflected at him and caught something sparkly. "Found the necklace; they're not here." 

"They're not?" 

"No, they're not."

"What about Duke?"

"No sign of him either, but it does look like someone must have fallen into the pit, think maybe he got her out, and they hid out someplace?"

"Not likely," Ducky informed. "They would not leave without giving some hint or telling you McGee."

"What about the bracelet?"

"Good call Timothy!" Abby praised bringing up the location. "Well good news she's not moving, bad news, the signal is fragile. I can pinpoint it to a square mile radius."

"That's good news?" McGee exclaimed.

"Well, you're in the one-mile radius," Abby added, trying to see if she could get a closer look. 

"Wait for Tony and Ziva, McGee," Ducky ordered. 

"They could be hurt, Ducky!" 

"Then search, but do not go in without backup!" Ducky warned,  _ Gibbs has rubbed off on them. _

\--

Jenny didn't like this situation.  _ Teach me not to wear hairpins; _ she thought angrily wishing for anything that might set her free and reach Jethro. Gibbs had started to come to but was still not coherent enough, and that worried her. Either they gave him a much stronger dosage of what they gave her, or he was drugged with something far worse than a mild sedative. If it was something worse, it put a damper on any escape plan; she might be able to pull off. If he couldn't walk, she'd have to drag him, and he was much bigger than she was. 

"Jethro, we really did it this time," she mumbled more to herself. 

"Yea," came his drowsy reply. Her head shot up, and she instantly regretted it, but she was met with his semi-living form. 

"Jethro?" She whispered worriedly.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright?"

"Jen…" he trailed off in a 'what do you think' voice. 

"Can you move at all?"

"Barely, break your cuffs and go."

"I can't, and if I could, I wouldn't be leaving without you," Jenny told him honestly. 

"Jen, you are getting out of here," his voice was gruff, and she could tell he was having trouble speaking.

"Jethro, you shouldn't…"

"You find any chance to escape, you go, understand?" He warned her.

"Jethro…" He was asking the impossible of her, to save her own life and possibly forfeit his or for them both to die. 

"You're the Director. You can't…"

"I'm your partner Jethro," she responded. "Isn't that a Marine thing, leave no man behind?"

"Cute, throwing my own words…" Gibbs paused, breathing heavily. 

"Shh," she hushed him. "You've been drugged, Jethro; I'm not sure with what."

"Don't you…"

"Shh," she hushed again, but he did hush as they heard the doorknob turn. Jenny glanced up at Jethro one last time, memorizing the setup before returning her gaze to the ground. Jenny was patient; she could bide her time and wait and see what would happen. Perhaps the only perk of studying crimes was the knowledge of how the killer operates, to use it against them. 

"Well, well, our lovey-dovey couple is awake. Enjoying your stay?" came the taunting feminine voice. Jenny kept her mouth shut; she knew what her limit was. If all they were doing was taunting, she was going to be able to stay that way for quite a while. 

"Perhaps they're hoping we shall kill the other to free them," the man retorted. 

"You don't want to kill her," Jethro's voice was surprisingly loud, but it caused a stroke of fear in her that she hadn't felt before.

"Oh, and why not, Jethro Tibbs?" She felt the gun barrel at the back of her head. 

"It'd be the last thing you did." He sounded very self-assured, and for a minute, the image of Brain Dempsey flashed before her, dead behind her, one bullet to his forehead. Jenny took a deep breath, restraining herself from commenting. She was not opposed to making a kill shot, and if they harmed him, they would die, that was all there was to it. 

"I don't think you'll be too worried about her in a minute," the man responded. She felt him trail a hand down her neck and resisted the urge to gag. "I'm sure Lynna can distract you from your pain."

"Exactly Jethro, you won't have to worry about her, why don't you let someone else…what was it she said…talk her ear off." 

"And what makes you think he'll listen to you," Jenny bit out. 

"He was doing just fine, till you interrupted. Isn't that right, Jethro?" He didn't answer and turned away from her hand. 

"You should let your husband learn some new tricks, Jenny."

"Listen to Russ, dear. Sleeping with other women has done wonders for him," Lynna mocked.

"See, I can give you what he can't," Russ tacked on, touching Jenny's neck again. 

"You see, Jethro, she's enjoying it," Lynna narrated. "But you will too. You weren't meant to be tied to just one woman, you've married multiple just for that reason. You're not a one-woman kinda guy."

"Trust me, I'm a one-woman only kinda guy," Jethro informed. 

"Maybe you just need the chance to think outside the box." 

"If I was going to cheat on my wife, I don't think I would use a serial killer."

"Even if it would kill your wife, you would not sleep with another?"

"Wouldn't that kill her?"

"Oh, you mean break her heart, strange you even think of that. No, I do mean kill her." The gun was pressed just a little harder to her head. 

"I refuse, you kill her, I don't refuse, and she kills me. Either way, I'm dead, not much of a deal." Jenny felt the smirk on her lips that was all Gibbs. 

"And what would you do to save your husband, Jenny?" Russ inquired, using the gun to trace along her skin.

"What are you asking?" She responded, keeping her eyes focused on the bed. 

"Jenny…" she heard Jethro's faint warning; he could be mad at for her for all he wanted, but he could at least be alive. 

"I'm sure we could negotiate something."

"Touch her and die."

"Jethro…" She tried trailing off, as she was sure he was giving a spectacular Gibbs glare to her. 

"Are you so controlled by your husband?" Russ inquired, trailing a finger down her arm. 

"You could touch me all you want, you won't get more than your satisfaction of it," She told him coolly. 

"We shall see, Lynna!" Jenny watched with held breath as Lynna stepped closer to the bed, pulling up the knife that had been sitting so innocently. 

"Where's Duke?" Jenny demanded, watching the knife closely, hoping she could stop it in its path.

"Oh, your dog, he'll be alright. We are not terribly cruel," Lynna assured.  _ No, you just torture couples and kill them for pleasure, not terribly cruel at all, _ Jenny thought angrily as she strained again against her bonds. 

"Jethro, your wife, is more concerned about the dog than you," Russ commented.

"Only because she knows the dog would sooner rip your throat out than let you come after us." Gibbs eyed the blade warily. He'd cheated death before, multiple times, but usually, someone was coming after him, short of his team who he knew would find them, but this time more than likely too late, there was no one else to call for backup. 

"Well then lucky for us, he's indisposed," Russ remarked. "You have a choice, Jenny."

"You're going to kill my husband if I don't sleep with you, and if I do, you'll probably kill me, that is one hell of a choice," she said sarcastically. 

"You will have my word; no harm shall come to him."

"Your wife is to interested in him," Jenny bit back.

"Well, you'll be satisfied doesn't seem fair really to leave him alone," Lynna answered stroking Jethro's face with her hand just as Jenny herself had done early that evening. She felt the jealousy rise but clamped down on it. She had to go through with this, had to do whatever it took to save him. "You know Jenny, Russ likes a woman who screams," and with that, she brought the blade down, and Jenny forced the tears away. 

"You gave me your word," Jenny snapped furiously.

"Well, you haven't done anything to honor your half."

"I can't when I'm cuffed," Jenny reminded, seeing the opportunity. If he wanted her that badly, she could use it to her advantage.  _ Let's just hope she's not as good with a knife as Ziva. _ He reached behind her, grasping the cuffs.

"Are you insane?" Lynna protested, pulling the knife dripping with blood away.

"Lynna doll, do you think she could do anything," Russ mocked; Jenny let her body go limp hiding her real strength. Occasionally it helped to be underestimated. She felt him mess with the cuffs and waited patiently, knowing she could hopefully overpower him, take out Lynna, get Jethro, and run.  _ Or this could ultimately backfire Jenny _ , a tiny nagging voice began. She ignored it, bidding her time. The cuffs came free with a jingle, and she let him start to touch her hair and shoulder, she felt him pull her to feet and let the blood fill her legs again before glancing over at Lynna. At that moment, she wished she had as Lynna had a blade to Jethro's throat, her hands otherwise engaged. "You see, Jenny, it is not so painful."

"No, not for me, for you," she brought her leg up along with her hand, hearing the satisfying crack of his nose and watched him cripple to his knees as her knee had done its work. She ducked as Lynna threw the knife but knew she was not fast enough as she felt a tear in her arm. She bolted down on the pain and turned to face Lynna head-on as Russ groaned on the floor. 

"You little bitch!" Lynna screamed, reaching over to the bedside table. Jenny was sure there was a weapon and pulled her knife from her side pocket. She threw it carefully, but Lynna moved, and it clanked to the ground on the other side.  _ Damnit.  _ She felt Russ behind her and kicked out again; she felt her foot collide with him and knew it would only be temporary. She tried to move forward and free Jethro, but felt an arm wrap around her throat. 

"Feisty, aren't you?" Russ snapped through haggard breaths, tightening his arm around her throat. "We'll see how long you last." She watched as Lynna retrieved her knife from across the bed and strolled back over, holding it above Jethro's heart. Jenny struggled against the hold that was on her and felt a slight slip in it. 

"No!"

\--

Tony and Ziva were waiting at the entrance to the lodge when McGee returned. They looked worried, and McGee knew that couldn't be good. He had followed Abby's tracking devices, which had led him straight back to the lodge.

"Abby, this can't be right!" McGee protested as he trudged towards his two-team members. 

"This is where the signal is coming from now, stop dragging your feet! Gibbs will kill us if anything happens to the Director!" 

"She has a point," Tony sighed. 

"Where is the signal?" Ziva demanded.

"We can't just go in!" McGee reminded. 

"We're not going in guns blazing, gonna play it cool." 

"If I transfer the signal to McGee's phone, you may get a more accurate reading," Abby informed. 

"Do it, Abbs," Tony ordered. "Come on sweet cheeks, let's have a drink." He wrapped an arm around Ziva and led her into the lodge, looking every inch a young couple in love. McGee followed them slowly, waiting for Abby to transfer the signal. As the phone began to beep, he watched it. He couldn't be very far from them with a signal that strong. He approached the bar quickly but with purpose. 

"Mister and Misuses DiNardo, your room is ready."

"Why, thank you, Timothy," Tony remarked, leading Ziva and following the younger man. As they disappeared from the public eye, Ziva pulled her gun out and cocked it. 

"How far?"

"We should be on top of them, but…"

"Is there a basement?" Tony questioned. McGee nodded, familiar with the schematics. "Well, then lead us to access." They followed, the signal beeping louder with every step. Ziva halted them at a second door. 

"Low moan," she whispered. 

"Heard it." Ziva tried the door. 

"Locked."

"Pick it." Ten seconds later, they were through, and Tony spotted a large blanket covering a bulge. He pulled it off carefully. "Duke."

"Does not bode well for them." 

"We should…"

"No!" The three heads shot toward the far end of the hall. 

"Jenny?" Ziva gasped and dashed. She froze mid-sprint as a gunshot sounded. Tony grabbed Ziva's arm, stopping her from rushing straight in the door. There was no reason for two agents to die. McGee covered as they carefully pulled the door open, and they filed in, surprised to see Jenny holding a gun to the head of a woman lying on the ground, another man laying holding his lower half. Gibbs was tied to the table nearby. 

"Way to go, Jenny," Tony commented.

"DiNozzo, remind me to hit you!" Gibbs snapped. McGee went over to help Gibbs up as Ziva cuffed the woman in front of Jenny and Tony, scurrying over to secure Russ. Tony made a mental note never to piss off the Director of NCIS.  _ Ouch, woman's got class. _

"Jenny!" Ziva's startled cry was enough for all the men in the room to turn. Ziva had her hands pressed to a wound seeping blood on Jenny's shoulder.

"It's a scratch, Ziva." Jenny moved away from her friend, trying to get to Jethro, to assure herself he was safe. "I think you might have to worry more about him."

"Boss," Tony said, hesitantly noticing the red stains.

"Jethro, you never could do things the easy way," Jenny sighed, holding out her non-injured hand. She noticed the blood but tried not to think the worst. He took her hand, but it was McGee and Tony who helped him up. He squeezed her fingers briefly before letting go of her hand and turning to his team.

"Ziva, I want confessions by the time we get back to headquarters!" He barked. 

"Yes, Gibbs," she answered dutifully. "But Gibbs…" He turned to look at her giving her the Gibbs stare. 

"Boss, you can't go back…" Tony began. Gibbs turned his glare on the other man who gulped. 

"Jethro, they're right."

"Rule 46 Boss, never compromise a cover, always see it through," McGee quoted, looking very proud of himself. Ziva and Tony just sighed, poor McGee would learn eventually.

"Oh no, we're out of here now," Gibbs said, walking forward, Jenny followed, the team leading out Russ and Lynna. 

"Boss, we can get them out without attracting attention."

"Do it," Jenny commanded, grabbing Jethro's injured arm, holding him in place. He glared at her, but she ignored it. They watched as Tony and Ziva loaded the two into the helicopter with two more guards. They came back for further orders.

"Boss, we'll have them sorted out when you get back," Tony promised.

"Yes, enjoy the rest of your vacation," Ziva suggested, half smiling in Jenny's direction. The redhead rolled her eyes. 

"Boss, you sure you don't want us to get Ducky? Fix you up a bit?"

"DiNozzo!" 

"Right, sorry, Boss." He turned to lead Ziva back to the helicopter when Gibbs stopped him. "Boss."

"Stay." Tony froze in place; Ziva almost unconsciously stepped closer to Jenny as Gibbs headed in the direction of the helicopter. He stuck his head in, nodding to the guard and glaring at the couple seated there.

"So you two aren't even married, could have fooled me," Russ commented, still grimacing in pain. Gibbs resisted the urge to half-smile at the grimace. 

"Tell me, do they approve of such close liaisons in the FBI?" Lynna inquired.

"We're not the FBI, we're NCIS, and you would have to ask our Director." 

"You can be sure we'll lodge a formal complaint of abuse."

"You can try, but based on the fact that you almost killed agents and did kill three couples, not to mention the bodies in France," he tacked on.

"Ah, I knew those initials were familiar, yes, the Americans that ruined all my fun," Russ sighed dramatically. "A pity we never got farther in, I would have love to…"

"You really don't want to finish that sentence," Gibbs warned, he leaned closer. "I'm still looking for an excuse to shoot you." He turned on his heel and walked back toward the lodge. "David, DiNozzo, move it!"

"See you later, Boss, Director." Ziva simply nodded at the two, and she and Tony got in the copter. Jenny felt Jethro take her hand gently, squeezing lightly on her fingers. 

"Uh, Boss… I'll go check them out, get rid of the stuff," McGee said, feeling uneasy at watching the intimacy. 

"You do that, McGee." McGee left quickly, and Jenny chuckled softly, watching the younger man head off immediately. She turned to Gibbs slightly, trying to read the far-away expression.

"They did good," She praised. 

"Yea," he agreed half-heartedly, wincing a bit. 

"Come on, Jethro, let's get cleaned up and into bed."

"What about Duke?"

"I saw McGee take him upstairs. I think he just needs rest. I thought his leg was broken, but Ziva assured me that it was something in his paw, she got rid of it." 

"When was that?"

"When you were interrogating our suspects."

"I was not interrogating them," Gibbs defended as they moved back to their room. 

"No? What do you call threatening them with death?"

"He almost killed you, Jen, they both did." 

"I know, I know." She placed her head lightly against his good shoulder. "Well, at least we'll have matching scars now," she teased. Despite himself, he chuckled, he was glad she was here, glad she was safe. They reached their room, found Duke lying peacefully on a pile of blankets. Jenny went over and praised him, scratching his ears. 

"We should get cleaned up, get your arm bandaged," Gibbs suggested. She nodded and headed for the shower. 

"Coming Jethro?" She called over her shoulder. He didn't need to be asked twice. After washing their wounds and enjoying the fact they were both still very alive, they dried off and got ready for bed. Gibbs carefully bandaged her arm, making sure it was clean and protected. She repeated the favor pressing a gentle kiss over the bandage as well. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they got settled to sleep.

"You sure it's not bothering your arm?" Gibbs asked quietly, afraid to break the stillness that had descended. He had his arm covering her injured one.

"It's fine Jethro, I'm fine," she reassured, tilting her head to kiss him lightly. He felt her breathing change and watched as she slept in his embrace. He didn't want to sleep; he wanted to stay awake and make sure she was indeed okay. He failed in that, as he drifted off an hour later. Her tossing and turning, straining to get out of his grasp, disturbed the peace. He awoke immediately arm tightening on her, freehand reaching for his gun, trying to figure out who was trying to take her. Seeing nothing, he looked down to find her eyes moving rapidly around under her lids. 

"Jen?" Gibbs called gently, trying to rouse her. It didn't work, if anything, it upset her more, and he saw tears fall from underneath her lids. "Jenny, honey?" he called again, stroking hair out of her face. She leaned into his touch. 

"Jethro…" her voice was longing and filled with sadness. 

"Jenny, wake up," he told her, leaning down and kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, before gently capturing her mouth, trying to wake her up. When he pulled back, he found her green eyes focused on his blue ones, tears lingering in the corners. "What's wrong?"

"I was stuck; I couldn't get to you. She brought the knife down…" Jenny trailed off. Jethro wasn't surprised she was having nightmares. It was a little to close a call for him as well. Russ had been holding her in a chokehold, Lynna holding a knife over his heart. She had managed to break free, grabbing the gun and using it to knock Lynna away, the knife falling harmlessly to the floor. It had happened so quickly that he wasn't sure if it had been real until the team came through. 

"It was just a dream, wasn't what happened," he told her. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised, kissing her again. Jenny felt her breath catch as her heart froze. She pushed herself up, meeting his lips in a gentle kiss filled with longing.

"Neither am I." The kisses and touches that followed were reminders that they were in each other's arms, safe from harm for the moment.

Gibbs kissed down her throat, enjoying the way her pulse felt just underneath her skin and his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair, soothingly her lips finding his forehead. He skimmed his hands down her body and underneath the tee shirt she had on. He met her eyes, waiting for agreement before moving again. She nodded slightly and arched up as he slid the tee shirt up and over her head, leaving her body bare underneath him. As soon as she was free, she wrapped her arms around him and rolled them over, enjoying the small flash of surprise that ran across his face. 

"You're overdressed for this," Jenny whispered, quickly fixing that, sliding off the sweats he'd been wearing and the boxers following swiftly. She stretched out on top of him, enjoying the skin on skin contact, lowering her head to kiss him slowly, nipping affectionately at his lips. Gibbs tangled his one hand in her hair, angling her mouth to devour her kiss, as his other hand slid down to her hip, squeezing her flesh gently, pulling her hips closer to his body. She moved forward slightly, taking him into her, feeling him pause momentarily to let her adjust. She began to move around him, and he met her movements. She leaned back down, pressing her chest to his, framing his face with her hands as she kissed him passionately and deeply. Her tongue was dueling with his as they fought for dominance, yet still mindful of their recent injuries, they were careful not to move to harshly, or on to their bad sides. As he felt her tighten around him, he rolled them again, pinning her beneath him and picking up the pace as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper. 

"Jen…"

"Jethro…" her voice was airy, passionate, loving, his favorite sound ever. He felt her nails dig into his back, her entire body going tense as he brought her over the edge of pleasure. He followed her, collapsing on top of her, his lips kissing up and down her neck. Her soft sigh against his ear, made him smile, and pull back to look at her post pleasure gaze. Her skin was flushed and sweaty, her hair a mess, but her eyes were wide and glazy, staring back at him with something that made his breath catch and his heart slam into his ribs. He kissed her again softly, sliding from her. He rolled to his back, pulling her into the nook his body created, feeling her cuddle closer her head coming to rest on his good shoulder. Her body was relaxed as she curled into him, enjoying the safety she felt with him. 

Jenny always loved this moment when he held her, made her feel as though she was the essential thing in the realm, gently caressed her arm and back, intertwined his hand with hers, and held it gently, almost in awe of the differences in them. He made her feel that if the world fell right now, it wouldn't matter, she would be safe. 

Gibbs had never wanted to cuddle a woman, not since Shannon anyway. He'd met Jenny, and he didn't care if they had sex every night as long as he got to hold her close. It was quite obvious that after the first few times, it hadn't just been sex, and he was quickly finding that making love with her was as intoxicating and addicting as it had always been. He wanted to cuddle with her, wanted to protect her, wanted her to protect him. He didn't mind if she held him, something he had once seen as a weakness in him; there was subtle strength in her embrace that she leant to him when he needed it. An embrace that she felt comfortable giving to him and letting him hold her. Gibbs knew she was an independent woman, an ambitious one, who perhaps had only one flaw that she did care. She didn't just want to be that woman, the Director all the time. He wasn't sure many men knew the difference, but he did, and he liked to be able to protect both the Director and the woman in her, and he loved that both her halves wanted to be held. 

"Jethro?" Jenny asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"Can we keep Duke?" Gibbs was sure he had the largest grin ever across his face, but he couldn't help it.  _ She said we _ . She picked her head up, apparently worried about his silence, and the look in her eye, a child about to be disappointed, made his smile grow. 

"Yea, we can keep him," he told her, kissing her gently. Her smile reached her eyes, and she kissed him back before lowering her head, settling to sleep. The smile remained etched on her face as she felt his breath even out,  _ he said we. _


	14. Confessions

"Well, isn't this nice Ziva, you, me and the Mansons," Tony commented as they got off the helicopter at NCIS headquarters. 

"I don't believe that is their last name, Tony," Ziva corrected, Tony just sighed. "But yes it's pleasant."

"Is that because Gibbs gave you the rattle 'em command?" Tony inquired curiously; he was a bit scared of the Mossad agent.

"Well, he didn't not say I could kill them," Ziva responded, almost grinning with glee. "Although, in this case, I would almost enjoy… ah questioning them."

"Yea… I'll be sure to shut the monitors off." Tony pulled Russ from the helicopter just a little bit harder than he should have. "Course I really wouldn't mind just to line 'em up right now."

"Yes, but in America, you are innocent until proven guilty," Russ commented, amused.

"Yea, and then once we know you're guilty, we can fry you, good thing we know you're guilty of at least assaulting a federal officer, and other federal officers don't take kindly to that."

"They never identified themselves!" Lynna hissed coming out as Ziva all but let her fall from the helicopter.

"They had no reason to until you pulled weapons on them."

"In which case, it was too late, but I'm sure they identified themselves when we cuffed you, right Ziva?" 

"I do remember Jenny uttering NCIS." 

"Yep there you go," Tony said. "NCIS 2, baddies 0." They escorted them down to interrogation and set out pads of papers with multiple pens. "NCIS finest quarters, please write down everything you did in a logical and grammatically correct state. Should you need any 'help' remembering your exploits, Officer David will assist you." 

"You don't even know we did it!" Lynna protested.

"Actually we do," Ziva answered, tossing some photos on the table. "We have your photos on security tapes, forensic evidence, and the fact you kidnapped two of our agents."

"Yea, the eyewitness is kinda hard to dispute," Tony commented idly. "Tough break, guys."

"Can we get a deal?" Russ questioned. 

"Yea… you're funny," Tony responded, chuckling. 

\--

McGee tiredly placed his gun and badge down on the desk. He needed a large cup of coffee, and…he paused in that thought.  _ Maybe Gibbs has telepathic powers after all; _ McGee thought convinced his boss was probably thinking the same thing. Whatever his boss was thinking, he noticed he wasn't doing it in the squad room. Gibbs and the Director had left before he had and should be back to NCIS by now. 

"Probie, you look awful," Tony chipperly informed.

"Tony."

"He is right McGee, you do not look well," Ziva agreed. He startled as Ziva appeared just behind his shoulder. "Scared of something, McGee?"

"No, just tired, did Gibbs and the Director make it back alright?" He questioned.

"Uh yeah, they're back," Tony answered.

"What happened?"

"Let's put it this way Probie, I think I'm more scared of Gibbs and the Director then Ziva."

"What?"

"They kicked us out of the observation room," Ziva said, sighing like a child whose toy had been taken away. 

"McGee! You're back!" Abby's loud squeal was an indicator of her throwing her weight into McGee, who caught her and tried to stay put. 

"Hi, Abby." 

"McGee, you are never allowed to lose Gibbs and the Director again!" She scolded, swatting him with her hand.

"Abigail," Ducky chided, joining the group. Abby looked slightly remorseful. "Now Tony, you mentioned Jethro was back?"

"Oh yea, they're 'talking' to the killers." Ducky led the group back to observation, Tony and Ziva protesting the whole way back. Ducky opened the door, and they filed in to find Russ and Lynna cuffed to chairs in separate rooms, Jenny with Lynna, Gibbs with Russ, and each had an eerily similar smirk in their lips. "You think she learned it from him?" 

"Shh!" Ziva snapped, listening as Abby read the lips. They watched in surprise as Jenny and Gibbs both yanked open their respective doors and disappeared into the hallway. 

"Think they planned that?" McGee asked. Ducky shook his head. "Creepy."

\--

"Well?" Gibbs asked as the redhead in front of him pulled the door behind her closed.

"Short of me really, really wanting to strangle her, nothing."

"Ziva and Tony said they signed confessions."

"They're not going to fry a pregnant woman."

"Got results on that too," Gibbs informed, holding paperwork he'd taken from Abby's lab. "She's not pregnant."

"No?"

"No."

"Well that's interesting," Jenny sighed, she turned back to go into the room. "Care to play good cop?" He followed. "Lynna, I have some disappointing news."

"Let me guess, Russ here told your lover that it was all my idea cause I didn't want to jeopardize the baby."

"Was it your idea?" Gibbs questioned.

"No!"

"Ah, well, then you'll be happy to hear he's taking credit for it," Gibbs informed.

"But that's not the disappointing news," Jenny continued.

"Oh, really?"

"You're not pregnant, sorry." 

"I miscarried during your harsh treatment!" 

"No, sadly, you were never pregnant at all," Jenny repeated, not sounding very apologetic. "So why the lie?" Lynna glanced away. "I will only ask you once; then, I will ask Russ."

"It was for Russ, we thought about heading to the Caribbean, retire and such."

"Keep talking."

"I didn't want to go through all the hassle, so we were going to get a baby."

"And killing those couples was supposed to help you with this?"

"We wanted to set up a serial killer, whose last victims would have had a beautiful baby taken. When someone else was caught, the baby would have been labeled dead. No one would suspect." 

"None of the couples you murdered had a baby."

"Oh no, they're still alive, like I said the last couple to be killed." 

"Then, why target us?"

"You were to close to becoming a successful couple. We needed to get rid of you; then, we could wait and bide our time." 

"Who was the couple, Lynna?" Jenny demanded. 

"Your friends, Steve and Maria." Jenny felt momentarily proud of herself, and she glanced at Gibbs, knowing he was feeling the same relief.

"You're never going to hurt another person where you're going," Jenny said. She opened the door and left the room, followed by Gibbs. They stepped into the observation, Gibbs hoping for a minute alone but realizing that would wait when he spotted his entire team. 

"Thought I told you two to take a hike," he said to Tony and Ziva.

"Yea, well, Probie here…" WHACK. "Good to have you back, Boss." 

"Go get them out of here," Gibbs ordered, turning to find Abby had thrown her arms around Jenny clutching to her. 

"Can't breathe, Abby."

"Sorry, Director, I'm just…"

"Yea, Abby, I'm happy to see you too." 

"Good work Abbs," Gibbs praised, coming alongside them. "Back to your lab." She trudged off following the others, leaving behind just Ducky, who watched the two in front of him suspiciously. 

"Well, as usual, you two came out of this smelling like daisies," he commented. "It never ceases to amaze me."

"Ducky," Gibbs warning tone was enough for the old man to fade off.

"Well anyway, Mr. Palmer has assured me that Duke will make a full recovery and be back to new in just a few days. He's resting comfortably in your office, Director."

"Thank you, Ducky." 

"And Cynthia is…"

"Director!" Cynthia's relived voice came from the doorway, and Jenny turned to face her loyal assistant. 

"Is the Agency still intact, Cynthia?"

"Yes, Director, but SecNav wants to speak with you," she informed seeming to calm down at the sight of her boss.

"Well, tell SecNav I will be right there."

"And Director, there's a dog in your office."

"Yes, Cynthia, that's Duke, he'll be joining us."

"Of course, Director." Jenny nodded her head, giving the young woman the okay to leave, and Ducky took the hint as well, leaving the two old partners alone. 

"Well duty calls," she sighed, not wanting to just walk away without some kind of discussion. 

"Yea," Gibbs agreed, not wanting to let her out of his sight. He gently kissed her forehead, knowing that if he were to even think of touching his lips to hers, he'd be taking a considerable risk. "So, maybe dinner?"

"That sounds…" she was interrupted by her cell phone ringing just as his started to buzz.

"Director…"

"Gibbs…" They leaned their foreheads against each other as they listened to the problems they had to fix, knowing the only thing they wanted at that moment was to go to sleep, preferably curled up around each other. 

"Sometimes, I wonder who's really in charge, me or Cynthia."

"DiNozzo's worse, trust me," he said. "So…"

"Call me," Jenny whispered against his lips before leaving the room quickly, the Director façade falling into place around her. Gibbs made it to the squad room just in time to see her disappear into her office. 

But he didn't call her. At least not for anything special except to tell her voicemail that his team had been called on to another case. She'd responded an hour later, saying she was stuck in MTAC for an emergency briefing on Interpol terrorists. Throughout the week, they only managed to exchange conversations with each other's voice mail. Gibbs had tried to bring her dinner one night only to find out she'd be escorted to the White House for a meeting with the joint chiefs and other agency directors. Jenny waited till about two one morning trying to catch him in the squad room only to find out later that morning from Cynthia that his team had left out of town to gather evidence from another crime scene. From one thing to another, till two weeks had passed, and Jenny was wondering if this was worth her sanity. She had caught just the briefest glance of him heading for the elevator to autopsy and was about to follow when Cynthia had found her and told her there was something urgent in MTAC. Gibbs, too was starting to get frustrated, he didn't think she was avoiding him, but he also knew she was insanely busy. Did he really want to have to share her with so many other people? 

As the end of week two came to a close, the team was starting to realize that something was not right. They had gone through the Director's usual symptoms, and even Tony had agreed it was not her monthly madness. It was something else, and the same symptoms in Gibbs made them all seriously consider the odds of it being connected. Abby concocted the brilliant plan late one afternoon while they were waiting on some DNA processing.

"I have it!"

"The evidence? Great Abbs Gibbs will…"

"Not that! A plan!"

"A plan?" McGee echoed.

"For what?" Tony inquired.

"Well, Mommy and Daddy have been acting differently, right?" 

"They are acting like spoiled children who aren't getting what they want," Ziva concluded.

"Exactly, well, I have an idea."

"And what is this idea?" Tony pressed.

"I decorated their 'house' to make it look believable, well I haven't undecorated it, and I don't think they ever got their stuff from it so I thought I could tell Gibbs…"

"Tell me what Abbs? That you got a match?"

"My babies are working as fast as they can Gibbs, but no, what I was going to tell you is that I never undecorated that house you were using during your undercover thing.

"Oh, I'll handle it, Abbs, if we ever close this case, which will be when your machine…" The green light and the beeping made everyone in the room exhale deeply. "Let's go!" Gibbs ordered his team, pausing only to kiss Abby's cheek. "Good work Abbs." 

"I am good," she beamed after he left. It was just moments later when she heard the floor ding again. "Gibbs, it's your job to…" 

"Is Gibbs in here?" Came the anxious voice of one Director Jenny Shepard.

"Oh, sorry, Director, you just missed him." 

"Damnit!" It was muffled, but Abby knew she heard that curse. Jenny waved and turned to leave, Abby pausing a minute before chasing after her. 

"Director, I forgot!"

"What is it, Abby?" 

"The house…well not your house, but I never undecorated the house you had for the cover…rather your stuff is still there and…"

"I'll take care of it, thank you, Abby." Jenny waved to the Goth as the elevator door closed, before bowing her head. "So damn close." She checked the squad room but found that he and his team were gone. She sighed again and retreated to her office. She had finally managed to finish all her work at a reasonable hour, and he had left already. She had sent Cynthia home to prevent interruptions, but apparently, that backfired. She opened her office door and grabbed her coat and purse and keys. "C'mon Duke; it looks like it's just you and me." 

The dog whimpered lightly but came over and rubbed against Jenny's legs, enjoying the pat she gave him. She clipped the lead to his collar and led him downstairs and out to the garage. She let Duke hop in her town car first before gracefully sitting down and telling her driver to take her home. As much as she wanted to go to Gibbs' house, she wasn't sure he'd be open to seeing her there, and she couldn't very well tell her driver to take her there. When she walked into her house, she glanced around with faint hope that maybe he'd stopped by or was waiting for her to get home, but a thorough search of the house revealed nothing. 

"Well, Duke, want to go for a walk?" He picked up a tennis ball and dropped it at her feet. "Oh, we can't go to the park, not now." Jenny had made a deal with her security that she would not wander far from the house outside.  _ But a fenced in yard we could go to _ , she thought, remembering what Abby had said about the cover house. Jenny grabbed her warm coat and dug a sleeping bag out of her closet from when she used to go camping. She wasn't sure if the linens would still be on the bed, and as much as she could do laundry, she didn't want to wash away his scent. She grabbed her car keys. "C'mon Duke; we're going on a trip." 

\--

Gibbs had gone all the way to the take out place that he knew did her favorite steak and waited for forty minutes for some. He wasn't too worried. He'd hoped she'd heard he'd left and would try to slip away or, at the very least, Gibbs realized she would have to go home eventually, and he was going to wait there for her. This limbo between them was driving him nuts. While he realized he would have to share her, she would still be his, come home to him, and that worked for him because, in turn, he would be hers and come home to her. Having to share her was a small enough sacrifice. 

Gibbs pulled into her house and found the spare key with little trouble. He checked over the house, half expecting to be mauled by Duke. Yet no one was there, not even Noemi. He checked the house thoroughly, resisting the urge to bury his head in her pillows. He'd wait. Gibbs placed dinner in the oven to keep it warm but noticed what was out of place. One of her drawers in the kitchen was slightly open. He pulled it open to find her keys for all sorts of things. Her office keys were there, but as he searched, he realized her car keys were missing. He checked the garage and sure enough found it empty. Without thinking, he pulled out his phone and dialed Ziva.

"David."

"Ziva, have you spoken to the Director?" 

"Not today, no, but… Abby don't touch that!" He heard.

"Is Abby with you?"

"Yes, here talk to her," Ziva handed off the phone.

"Yea, Gibbs?"

"Have you seen the Director today?"

"Oh yea, funny thing, she missed you by like a minute and a half; she must have some psychic thing too, right?"

"Abbs, did she say where she might be going?" 

"Um…back to her office? Though I did mention to her that the house hadn't been undone and she said she'd take care of it."

"Did you say we were off?"

"Um… can't remember, sorry Gibbs, it was a few Caff-Pows ago."

"Abby, you are cutting back on those starting next week," he sighed, hanging up the phone. Well, it would be a long shot, but he grabbed dinner put it in the car, drove to his house, just to make sure she hadn't gone by there and upon finding it empty, grabbed his old sleeping bag and figured he'd go camp out in the cover house. 

\--

"Abby, how do you know this plan will work?" Tony questioned slightly concerned now; he was, after all, heavily invested in it.

"Simple, really," the Goth replied.

"Nothing is ever simple when it comes to them."

"Well, I know where they are at this precise second, and Gibbs is heading straight for the Director."

"How do you know that?" Ziva asked.

"Abby, you didn't," McGee sighed. The Goth continued to smile.

"Abigail?" Ducky queried.

"Okay, so I may have put a GPS tracker on Gibbs' car and in his wallet, and the Director is still wearing the bracelet."

"The batteries on that should have died by now!" McGee reminded.

"Well, I may have replaced them…" Abby hinted. 

"Should we just pay you now?" Tony grumbled. Abby held out her hands.

\--

Jenny entered the house after letting Duke run around for a bit. He trailed in and flopped down on the rug in the living room. She ran her hands down her arms. It was cold; she went to turn on the heat and then decided to light a fire. Figuring she might as well have one room warm. She sorted through the fridge; food was pretty much gone, they hadn't exactly stocked up. She then checked over the rest of the house, everything was clear, but as she walked in the bedroom, she felt a smile grace her face. She glanced around briefly, and knowing Duke was downstairs jumped onto the bed and buried her head in the pillows. She could barely detect his scent, but she did find a bottle of bourbon sitting on the nightstand. 

"Well, thank you, Jethro," she grinned, taking a brief sip of the amber liquid and letting it warm her. The coldness of the room finally got to her, and the crackling of firewood brought her back down to the living room. Duke was curled up on the couch and raised his head momentarily to look at her. She smiled at him and turned back the kitchen. "Must have coffee." 

Just as the coffee was finishing, she heard what sounded like car tires on the driveway. She momentarily paused, listening again and was then aware of Duke's growl. Jenny reached for her gun when she realized she had left it in the glove box of her car.  _ Damnit!  _ She noticed the door to the basement and quietly moved to it. She realized Duke was at her side, ready to defend her. 

"Shh boy, come on." She led him down the steps pulling the door closed quietly behind her. She ran to the mirror door running her hand on the way for the keypad. She found it and quickly tried to think. "Come on…code…2…2 what?" She tried to think through it, hearing the front door open. "Shh, Duke!" She hissed to the dog at her feet.  _ 2-29-91, maybe? _ She typed it in, and the door moved.  _ Thank you, God. _

She and Duke quickly moved inside, and she sealed the door, moving to the monitors her phone already in her hand ready to hit speed dial one. She froze mid-movement as she noticed the security camera from the kitchen. She fiddled around and got it to zoom in and watched the figure move from the kitchen to the living room.  _ Jethro? _ She studied the figure again, positive in her identification. She watched as he reached in his pocket and found his phone, a second later hers beeped. She smirked and hit ignore.

\--

Gibbs pulled into the driveway feeling his heart leap at seeing her car already there. He grabbed dinner and his stuff going straight into the house, calling out gently, knowing she was likely to have her gun trained on the intruder or Duke ready to pounce. 

"Jenny?" There was no answer. Gibbs was curious at that, she could be waiting to surprise him, or she wasn't here. As he wandered into the kitchen and then back to the living room, he noticed stuff laid out. If she had left, she had only left minutes ago; Gibbs was convinced he could still smell her perfume. He grabbed his phone and hit speed dial one, hearing only two rings before her voice mail. She'd ignored his call. Gibbs thought he heard something behind him but glanced and found nothing. He decided to check the upstairs; maybe _ it bothered her sleeping _ . He felt the anxiousness seep into him as he opened the bedroom door and was severely disappointed to find the bed empty. He sat down, holding her pillow for a second while trying to think about what she might do.  _ If she didn't know who it was, would she wait and fight or would she hide? Well hide, especially if she didn't have her weapon, but where would she hide? Someplace where she could observe the situation.  _ And it hit him, the Panic Room _. _ He practically bolted down the stairs and slid to a stop inside the kitchen as his mind caught up to what his eyes were seeing. "Jenny?" Gibbs watched her stand up from where she had been leaning over the oven and turned slowly around, eerily similar to a way she had moved once nearly three years ago. 

"Hello, Jethro." He swore to himself that if he had ever had the chance to repeat her first five minutes as Director, he would have pinned her in that chair and kissed her till he was the only thing on her mind. Gibbs decided that this was close enough and stalked forward. He saw momentary confusion filter through her eyes, and she backed up till she was against the counter. 

"Hi Jenny," he greeted and then leaned down and kissed her, hard. He tangled one hand in her hair, wrapping the other around her back, pressing her closer to him as he felt her wrap her arms around his neck, holding herself in the kiss. Jenny kissed him again, her tongue darting out to meet his and taste the inside of his mouth as he tasted hers. The kiss only increased in passion as they branded each other with their lips. He could taste the coffee mixed with bourbon in her mouth and kept tasting it like he would his favorite coffee in the entire world. He concluded right then and there that she was his favorite coffee in the whole world. 

Jenny had felt her knees give way as his lips met hers. She felt her whole body warm-up as heat traveled from his lips down her throat and throughout her body. She had wrapped her arms around his neck to support herself and deepen the kiss that was slowly stealing her breath away. She didn't care that her chest hurt from her lungs trying to gasp oxygen; she didn't care that she felt dizzy; she just didn't want him to leave her arms again. She felt the kiss dimming in its intensity and turn gentle. Then he paused in his kiss, pulling away before coming right back and taking her mouth at a different angle, and he repeated it till the kisses faded off as they both stood wrapped up in each other, breathing heavily. She felt his finger trace her cheek gently and met his intense blue-eyed gaze with her sparkling green eyes. 

"So much better than a voicemail," Gibbs whispered. She chuckled softly.

"Oh yea," Jenny agreed, her chest not nearly in as much pain as oxygen-filled her blood. "You brought food," she commented. 

"Food later," he replied, pulling her close again. 

"Food now, we both haven't eaten in at least a day." 

"You haven't eaten in at least day?" He echoed concerned and trying to get her mind off his eating habits.

"I've been working, and you haven't eaten either, so no whining."

"Jenny, you have to take care of…" She put her hand on his mouth.

"Eat now, or I won't share my sleeping bag with you," she threatened. 

"I have my sleeping bag." 

"Which doesn't sleep two people."

"Neither does yours!" He protested. "There's a perfectly good bed…"

"That room is an icebox; I'm sleeping in my extra wide sleeping bag."

"You'll be cold," he whined.

"I'll live." Jenny pulled away from him and grabbed dinner from the oven. He helped to get plates and pouring some coffee, slugging it a little with bourbon. They sat down at the kitchen table that Duke had found his way under and ate. Gibbs could feel her eyes on him, watching. He could sense her hesitancy and wondered if it had anything to do with his. 

"Jen."

"Hm?"

"Got something to say?" She shrugged her shoulders as if that was a definitive answer. "Jen, no more secrets, remember?"

"We're living a secret, Jethro," she reminded. He figured she had a point on that, but he was willing to try if she was. 

"We're good at that." 

"And there are a hundred reasons why we shouldn't," she said almost angrily. Gibbs hated the fact she could be practical. It was good in an agent and Director but bad in a lover,  _ how incredibly paradoxical.  _

"We'll leave work at work."

"Can you do that?" Jenny inquired, sounding a little doubtful. He looked thoughtful for a moment, considering what she said. Gibbs knew they were both incredibly stubborn people, and they fought regularly, but he liked to think that maybe he learned something from dare he say it a marriage counselor. 

"I'll try," he said honestly, and she smiled. It was the best he could give her, and she knew that. "If you try too."

"I will, and maybe we should go out and do stuff." 

"Yea, and we'll work on talking things out," he agreed. 

"Yea, communication we need to work on, verbal communication anyway," she hinted. 

"Right, and while we work on that, we can do what we know we're good at." 

"We were good at the other stuff too, it just got…lost." 

"We'll get it back," he said, taking her hand across the table rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, the brief gesture was enough to ease all her worries. So what if she was the Director, Directors were allowed to have lives too. Gibbs tried to get up but felt a warm mass on his feet. "Yep you, me, and Duke." 

"Sounds like some awful movie."

"Probably," he agreed. "DiNozzo must be rubbing off."

"God, I hope not," she teased. "Hey, Duke?" She called softly to the dog. He trotted over to her side and sat in front of her. "Want a treat?" 

He barked.

"Of course you do, here's the deal, you leave us alone, and you can have your treat now."

"Jenny, he's not going to understand you."

"You haven't spoken to Abby, watch, and learn Jethro." Gibbs watched as she walked Duke around the perimeter of the living room, blocking his every attempt to go in it, he finally got the hint and sat in the main hall. Jenny handed him a rawhide bone, which he took and darted upstairs. They heard him jump on to the bed in the guest bedroom. "See, he won't bug us till tomorrow." 

"So, about that sleeping bag?" Gibbs questioned, stepping up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. 

"Maybe with the injuries we should…"

"Jenny," his voice a warning she recognized all too well.

"I'll get some more coffee." 

"I'll lock up the house." They parted ways, and he came back minutes later to find his sleeping bag spread out on the floor, hers on top with their pillows sitting there, and Jenny sitting at the edge of the sleeping bag staring at the fire cradling her mug of coffee. He sat down next to her, and she scooted closer, resting her head against his shoulder. He carefully wrapped an arm around her, pulling her even closer, pressing a kiss to her temple. He caught the faint smile that graced her face. "Hey." He nudged her.

"Hm?"

"You remember that place in the Czech Republic?"

"Before or after I took a round."

"Before, that hotel we were staying in."

"The one with the enormous fireplace?" 

"That's the one, and the animal fur rugs…" Gibbs drifted off, losing himself in the memories of pressing her down to the fur, something incredibly primitive had taken over him as he took her that time. Jenny smiled at him, lost in his memories. It was a look she had grown accustomed to over the last few years, but his proximity meant she knew it didn't have just to be a memory. She placed her bourbon mug down on the coffee table behind them before taking his and placing it there as well. Gibbs was momentarily confused, having been jerked from his memories as she removed the mug from his hand. He glanced at her and found a fire burning inside her emerald green eyes. Jenny turned slightly facing him more and placed her other arm around him using her weight and his off-balance to push him to the floor, where they found themselves chest-to-chest and lip-to-lip. She had started to kiss him just as she had shifted her weight to knock him down, and his automatic response to catch her played right into her plan. His free arm had wrapped around her, holding her on top of him as she teasingly kissed him. 

He met each of her kisses with hunger, that soon had her pressing her mouth harder to his her tongue dueling with his. His hands had wandered from her hair down her curves to her back and the edge of her top. Gibbs slipped his hand underneath it, trailing up her back as he felt her hands trail down his chest to the buttons on his shirt, slowly opening each of them. She shifted backward slightly to kiss each little piece of skin the open buttons revealed. He turned his hands so that as she slipped downward, her shirt was pulled upward, and finally, she let her hands pause to pull it off entirely before quickly returning to his task and adding his shirt to hers. Jenny ran her hands over the skin of his chest, enjoying its feel before plastering herself to him, stretching out to get the most skin-to-skin contact. He reached up to her back and undid her bra, pushing her away to remove it before pulling her back. He loved her breasts, but he also loved her as close as she could be, which he reasoned was still closer. He slid his hands down to her waist, reaching between them to undo the fly and button. Jenny shimmied out of her pants and helped him get rid of his, adding their last bit of clothing to the pile before she stretched out against him again. 

Gibbs rolled her over gently to her back and kissed down her throat, paying particular attention to the place behind her ear. He ran his hands down her body again, enjoying the way she arched into his touch. He was surprised when she shifted them, so they were lying on their sides, and she could touch just as he could.

"Not fair, Jenny…" 

"How is it fair that you only get to touch?" She queried, kissing the center of his chest as her hands trailed lower, stroking him slightly. He stilled her hand. 

"Jen…" he groaned. 

"Hm?" She continued kissing his bare skin, and finally, he gave up, holding her hand still. When she was determined to do something, nothing, not even his strength, would stop her. It didn't mean he couldn't continue to distract her. He trailed his hands down her creamy thighs and tickled her gently behind her knee. He watched her freeze and breathed deeply for a second, he eased up on the touch, and she settled, but the second he brought his fingers back her breathing picked up again. Gibbs cocked his head, that was new, but then again, he'd never really paid that much attention to her knees before, but if she liked it, well, he could start paying more attention to it. He trailed his hand back up her inner thigh softly stroking her center, surprised to find just how aroused she was. Jenny wasn't surprised when shortly after he had touched her, he turned into steel. What he had done to her had never happened before, and her reaction was completely unexpected, usually if she wanted she could delay this, but that one touch had sent her desperately close to the edge. 

"Jenny," he breathed in her ear as he slid first one finger then two inside her. He heard the low moan emit from the back of her throat and felt her lips seeking his. Gibbs quickly deepened the kiss she began bringing her over the edge with the sensations. He felt the quivering inside her and slowly kept moving, trying to draw it out as long as possible. As she came down, he held her gently, breaking the kiss to give her a chance to breathe, and she took deep breaths as her pulse came down. 

"Jethro," Jenny whispered against his lips; his name was an endearment laced with love. He slid his fingers from her and watched the tiny pout across her face. "You can't do that in meetings," she warned breathily, knowing he was one for pushing the boundaries.

"I'll try to remember that," he wasn't so sure he was going to be able to sit next to her in a meeting and keep his hands to himself. Not when this image of her coming undone by an innocent touch filled his brain. She kissed him again, reaching down to touch him and bring him the pleasure she had just felt. "Jen…." She recognized the plea for what it was and tilted her hips slightly as he settled between them. 

He entered her gently, waiting for her to move first before begin to move as well. Gibbs kissed down her throat, worshiping her breasts, and she moved underneath him. Her soft moan was enough for him to realize that she should probably be setting the pace for this and carefully rolled them, so she was on top. He admittedly loved this position with her, it was strange, other women he'd been with he hadn't been as fond of it, but this one, with her like this he could watch pleasure sweep over her skin, and he loved catching her as she fell over the edge. Gibbs gently gripped her hips, helping her as she shifted above him. Jenny leaned down into his open arms, kissing him, her hair falling around them like a curtain to keep out the rest of the world. One of his hands had begun to stroke her thigh, and she intertwined her hand with his. Their skin was sticking together like cohesion bonds of water molecules. He pushed up, hearing her gasp his name and feeling her wrap her legs around him, holding him to her as they continued to move against each other. 

"Jethro!" She cried as she went over the edge holding him to her, her nails digging into his back. He didn't mind as he felt his own body tighten in response to hers.

"Jen!" He held her tightly, not wanting to fall and crush her or shift and hurt her. He felt her move her weight backward, and his arms tightened around her.

"It's okay, Jethro," she told him gently as he lay her down like she was made of porcelain. She didn't mind the softness of the sleeping bag underneath her or his weight resting on top of him. She shivered slightly, feeling a cool breeze from the other room. He felt the shiver and wrapped his arms tighter around her. 

"You cold?"

"Fine."

"Jen…you always get cold," he reminded. Jenny grinned at the idea that even something so trivially he knew. He gently pulled from her, hearing her gasp as he touched her sensitive nerves. Gibbs kissed her temple gently before tugging her sleeping bag a bit closer to the fire but still far enough away to be safe. He unzipped it and helped her slid in before sliding in alongside her. They both quickly realized that the only way it would work was if they spooned each other, and so she turned on her side, and he settled up against her back, his arms wrapping around her resting just underneath her breasts. Gibbs felt her pull one of his hands down to her and intertwine her hand with his. He loved how she could make cuddling sexy, well as he thought about it, she made everything sexy, even the flu. She felt his grin and the faint kiss he placed to her injured shoulder.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Oh, you, always you."

"Uh, huh."

"Remember that time you had the flu and…" He felt her swat his thigh.

"I was miserable!"

"You were still beautiful." Jenny looked at him like he was some anomaly in a museum or something. 

"You Leroy Jethro Gibbs are a strange man."

"Only with you." He whispered, kissing her ear and her cheek before kissing her mouth gently, noticing the sleep in her eyes.

"Better be only me," she mumbled, tightening her hold on his hand. He let his fingers stroke her skin soothingly, helping her to fall asleep and get what he knew was much-needed rest. 

"I'm yours," he whispered in her ear just as her breath evened out. If he had looked he would have seen the faint smile spread across her face, or the small tear that left her eye, but he was just as tired as she was, and wanted to sleep curled up next to her. 


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we come to the end of this one... as I mentioned before I'd been updating daily to get through the remainder of online teaching but it's summer now.
> 
> I appreciate all the kudos and comments and I'm glad you guys have enjoyed the stories so far. I will not be continuing to post daily or even monthly at the moment, but you never know when inspiration will strike.

“Did you get it?”

“Oh, I got it.”

“Can we see?”

“I can’t believe you want to watch this!”

“C’mon, don’t leave us hanging here!” 

“You just want to know if there was a morning round.”

“Damn straight!” Tony grumbled at his partner, whose teasing had been upped after this new evidence had been found. “Abby…” he whined.

“We are so getting fired for this,” McGee sighed. 

“Don’t you remember what Jenny said, what Gibbs doesn’t know, can’t hurt us!” Ziva repeated. 

“He won’t hurt me, I’m the favorite,” Abby bragged. She cued up the video footage she’d found in the cover house. Abby had taken it because the Director told her the government was selling the home, and the footage might be classified material. She had given Abby special permission to view it. It had occurred to Abby that there was a strong possibility that her plot’s fruition was on these tapes and so she had called the team down when she knew Gibbs was in the Director’s office. Tony had assured him he was spending longer periods in there than usual and so not to worry if the Boss wasn’t supposed to know. 

“Stop, I saw his car pull in,” Ziva announced from her monitoring of the outside footage. 

“Here we go, Tony’s getting rich today!” Tony gloated. 

“We shall see,” Ziva commented. They watched the tape, as Gibbs entered the house to find a fire and sleeping bag but no Director or Duke. They watched him as he went through the whole house and then back to the kitchen, where they had a lovely view of Gibbs staring at something in the kitchen. 

“Showtime, didn’t I tell you, Probie?” But Tony was disappointed as Gibbs walked off the screen. “Abby?”

“I’m working it, I’m working it,” she mumbled. “C’mon babies.” 

“Abby, this is a terrible idea,” McGee again inserted.

“Oh, shut up, Timmy.” She cued the next sets of tapes. “No!” She wailed. 

“No?” Tony and Ziva echoed.

“Something’s wrong with the footage,” she paused as she saw McGee edging for the door. “But, McGee can fix it.” 

“Abby…”

“Probie, do it now!” Tony ordered.

“Or what Tony, you’ll tell Gibbs?”

“I’ll sic Ziva on you.” McGee moved quickly back to his chair, muttering curses under his breath. He screwed with the footage and then sighed. 

“Here.” They saw the tail end of what they thought could be a kiss or a hug they weren’t entirely sure, and then the tape cut, and they were looking at a sleeping bag lying in front of the fire. There was movement, and the team turned and stared. 

“In a sleeping bag?”

“That’s a new one.”

“Wow.”

“Okay, pay up!” And the moving in the bag stopped, and two pointy ears followed by a muzzle came out. 

“Duke!” Abby whined. “Not fair!” 

“Wait, see the figure in the corner,” McGee pointed out.

“No…wait reflection there,” Abby pointed to it on the big screen as McGee enlarged and cleaned it up. Defiantly two sets of legs, one large, one thin and long, hidden behind the larger ones. They tried to go higher up when they felt an overwhelming need to run. 

“ABGIAL SCUITO!”

“ANTHONY DINOZZO!” The two matching voices bellowed into the lab, and Ziva and McGee quickly tried to slide to the edge of the room as Gibbs, and the Director walked in. “You two stay put!” Gibbs glared in their direction. 

“Is there are reason none of you are working?”

“We were working, that is we were but needed a break and wanted to try this idea on something else before we tried it on actual footage, right McGee?”

“Uh, yea!” He agreed.

“And DiNozzo, your reason is?”

“Moral support Boss, me and Ziva both.”

“Exactly!” Ziva nodded. Gibbs took a step closer to Tony and cuffed the back of his head. Abby tried to move closer to the Director.

“Don’t hide behind your Director’s skirt,” he warned the young Goth. “No, Caff-Pows for a week.” 

“But Gibbs!” 

“And no setting up any accounts for them,” he glared at the Director. 

“The girl has to drink something Jethro, would you rather it be coffee?” 

“One Caff-Pow a week, that’s it,” he amended. “McGee empty her supply.”

“McGee,” Abby sniffled. He shrugged, looking sorry as well. 

“DiNozzo, David, upstairs now!” The two went racing for the elevator catching Gibbs’ faint smirk as the doors closed. Jenny watched them closely.

“Happy now? You’re still intimidating to your team.”

“Wouldn’t want them to think I’m going soft in my old age.” She casually leaned up against him.

“Not where it counts, at least,” she replied as she stepped into the now free elevator. 

“You know if Duke didn’t loyally guard you all the time, I’d…”

“There’s no Duke here,” Jenny whispered. All Abby saw were the doors closing as Gibbs backed the Director against the wall, and then the elevator stopped between floors. She looked to McGee and made to run to her computer. McGee stopped her.

“Wasn’t it your idea to keep this quiet?”

“Yea…damn, why does he have to be so secretive, though?”

“Well, he doesn’t tell us secrets.”

“Nope, only her.” They both sighed, and McGee went back to hiding the Caff-Pows in another freezer, and Abby tried to hack the main security footage. Ducky watched them from just outside the lab and smirked.  _ And to think all this started with a trip to a marriage counselor, now everything is as it should be and I can get some work done. _

###  ** END **

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Missing High Heels](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24557971) by [aserene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aserene/pseuds/aserene)




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